Gwen's Travels: Eon Signs
by Scholar of Emeralds
Summary: Armed with a disobedient starter and two wacky best friends, Gwendolyn Jenkins heads off to conquer the gyms of Johto. Her journey is rocky, as is expected. But, there are troubles; in the form of two eon legendaries and Team Rocket's weak comeback.
1. The Million Dollar Question

**Chapter 1: The Million Dollar Question**

_Wednesday, March 23__th__ 3:06 PM_

In Johto, the average ten year old girl is usually traveling, aiming to become top trainer, coordinator, and whatever else one can think of. The funny thing is, I am a ten year old girl who lives in Johto, but I'm still stuck at home with no one but my seven year old brother, Colin for company. Now, when people find this out, they always assume that I chickened out and decided to wait a year before I start my journey, if they don't know me.

The truth is, it's my parents who chickened out!

Well, actually, my mom's the crazy, anxious type. My dad's pretty laidback and calm, and if it were up to him he'd let me go in a heartbeat. However, in our household my mom's really the one who decides on things. I really don't know why. It's just always been that way, I suppose.

My mom thinks that ten is way too young of an age for kids to leave home, and furthermore, she believes that girls should wait until they're at least thirteen. My brother, Aaron couldn't leave for his journey until he was twelve. Even though I don't have real plans for the future, I do not want to spend my entire pre-teen hood cooped up at home.

I have to be able to leave; otherwise I just might go insane. I once used that as reason for why I should be permitted, but my mom just told me to stop exaggerating. Of course, the last time I asked her I was only nine, and today I've been ten for close to ten days. Perhaps I should give it another shot…

On March 23rd, I sat on the lumpy brown leather couch that we have in our den. I was watching TV with my little brother. Well, _he _was the one watching "Charizard Warriors", while I read a Golbatman comic book. As I reread the comic, I thought about Pokémon journeys and about how dull life is in New Bark Town, at least if you don't have a Pokémon.

Over the comic book, I glanced over at Colin. His blue eyes were wide as a warrior received a power up on the TV screen. He had his mouth open as well, as if he'd never seen anything as awesome. With his wide eyed expression and spiky brown hair, my brother always reminds me of a tiny brown Pachirisu. If it weren't for the freckles, he'd be the perfect human version of the Sinnoh-living electric type.

He has more than me, and for that I am truly grateful. The splash of dark freckles across my nose is what people look at me twice for. Otherwise, I'm the average ten year old girl in appearance. Back-length golden-brown hair, hazel eyes, and olive skin. That's me. Of course, unlike average girls, I'm at least eight inches shorter than most of my peers.

Maybe that explains my headstrong personality.

When the show went on a commercial break, Colin finally figured out that he was being watched. "What is it, Gwen?" He asked me with a questioning look in his eyes.

I shook my head, and got up from the couch. "Nothing, Col." I left the room while a cereal commercial aired, and headed for the kitchen.

My grandmother was at the counter, chopping up onions for the spaghetti that she planned on making for dinner. Granny is one of the only people that I know who can chop onions without shedding a single tear. I really don't know how she does it. She had her gray-brown hair up in a bun as she cut away with a concentrated expression on her face.

Close by, her Medicham, Jojo was peeling lettuce up with her Psychic attack, preparing the vegetable for a salad. It wasn't until Granny scooped the slashed onion pieces into a bowl that she finally noticed me standing there.

"Gwen," She smiled at me. "Did you need something, dear? Or come to help?"

"Well, no…" There was an awkward silence as I tried to find the correct words. "Uh, do you know where Mom is exactly? I kind of have to talk to her."

Granny paused, and got a thoughtful look on her slightly wrinkled face. "She's upstairs, writing a letter to Aaron. If she's still there, then she really is writing a long one." She shook her head as she chuckled. "Honestly, your mother is the most precise woman that I've ever met. Always over explaining, but there's no harm in that."

My grandmother is only fifty six, and a very active woman. She's lived with us ever since Colin was born, and she really moved in to help out with the new baby. But she decided to leave her condominium in Saffron City, Kanto, and came to stay with us permanently. As soon as she was done talking she began to boil water over our gas stove, smiling at the prospect of more cooking.

I passed the den once more on my way to the stairs. Colin was still engrossed on his TV show, and didn't even notice as I passed him. I ran up the stairs, two at a time, and once at the top, I walked down the long hallway to my parents' room.

Inside, my mother sat at her desk, writing on a long scroll of lined paper. This struck me as odd, since we have two computers and a working printer, but my mother doesn't make sense half of the time. Despite this, she's a pretty good mom, just really anxious. She's actually kind of pretty, too with wavy dark brown hair and blue eyes.

She looked up at the sound of footsteps, and raised her dark brown eyebrows. "Hey, honey. I'm just finishing up a letter to Aaron." She wrote down a few more words in her neat cursive handwriting, not looking surprised by the long length of the entire letter itself. "Did you need anything?"

"Yeah, I have something to ask you." I sat down on the edge of their king sized bed, and looked at her until she was one with her letter. With her attention fully on me, I continued. "Mom, before you jump up and protest, hear me out. I want to leave on my Pokémon journey, and since it would be absurd for me to run away from home, I'm asking for your consent." I looked at her with pleading eyes.

She looked at me for awhile, arching and raising her eyebrows in an odd coordination. Feeling total anticipation for her answer, I counted the seconds until she finally spoke. Once I got to twenty one, she stood up, and opened her mouth.

"Gwen, honey," She said in a steady voice. "Now, I know that at your age, you would love to do what all of your friends are doing. You want to leave home, and show your independence. Plus, you want to have a big chance like your brother." She paused, and I inhaled, deeply. "Gwen, do you really want to be off on your own, without your parents or anyone around? Do you really want to cook your own meals, sleep outside, all of that with the danger of strange men and wild crazy people?" She placed her hands on her hips and gazed at me with a leveled look in her blue eyes.

She's always really overdramatic, but I wasn't going to let her insecurities and worries scare me off. I nodded several times, smiling. "Mom, seriously! I really want to be on my own. I'm ten years old, and fully responsible for my own actions, really! And, besides, I'll have awesome Pokémon. You know?"

My mother let out a long sigh, and sat down beside me on the bed. She buried her face into her hands, and mumbled something slightly audible to me. "Fine, fine!"

I probably did overreact, but I jumped to my feet with my fists in the air. I pumped them with joy, and let out a few cries. "Woo hoo! I'm leaving! I'm leaving home, and I'm on my own!"

I danced around the room, and was about to run out of the room to tell everyone else when my mother's next words stopped me.

"Gwendolyn Iris Jenkins!" I turned back to see my mother looking straight at me again. "You will not be leaving for another couple of days, and if you don't stop trying to cause an earthquake, you won't be leaving at all." She sighed deeply once more. "Another thing, you better be leaving with Sam and Mallory. I will not have you trouncing around on your own, young lady!"

"Fine, I will Mom!" I dashed out of the room before she could say another word.

Even if I wouldn't be leaving for a few days, I was still going! I ran into our small fenced backyard where my dad was watering the rose bushes with the help of my mom's two Lombre, Aqua and Leon. He's way more laidback than my mom, and if it were ultimately up to him, I'd already have permission to leave.

"Hey, Gwen," My dad said turning to look at me. He's taller than my mom with short golden-brown hair and as many freckles as me. "Need something?"

I nodded quickly, and jumped up and down with excitement. "Dad! Mom said I could go! I'm leaving home in a couple of days! Yes!" I did another crazy dance, kicking my feet up in the air.

When the jig finally ended, Dad replied, "Wow! Charlotte is finally letting you go, huh?" He smiled in a rather wistful, and sighed lightly. "Gosh, we're going to have to get your traveling equipment and everything. What time is it?" He looked down at his blue wristwatch. "Nearly three twenty. Hm, alright, we'll go get everything tomorrow. Until then, do you still have that letter that Professor Elm sent you?"

"Of course!" I said loudly, jumping up once more. "I would never lose something like that."

Dad raised an eyebrow and grinned at me. "Alright, well, knowing your mother you won't be leaving until Saturday at least. So, that'll give you time to prepare. If you already know which starter to pick, then we'll stop by the lab on the way from the shopping center." He shook his head, but the smile stayed on his face. "Wow! My only daughter is leaving home…"

"Now, Dad," I began to say. "No need to get nostalgic or anything."

My dad quickly composed himself and rolled his eyes, still grinning. "Alright, Gwen. Fine, I'll wait until you leave before I start bawling my eyes out."

"Lombre!" Aqua cried to my dad, pointing a red clawed finger to the completely drenched flowers. "Lombre, lom!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." My dad replied, picking up a packet of plant food from one of the yards lawn chairs. "Anyway, Gwen, you should alert your friends, and maybe see if you can reach Aaron at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center. Last time I spoke with him, he said that he'd be there eventually."

"Okay, I will." I hurried to tell Colin and Granny the good news, and I felt a heck of a lot calmer than before.

…

"So, you're leaving this Saturday, right?" My best friend Mallory looked at me with her big cerulean-blue eyes. Before I could even respond she clapped her hands out of joy, and looked at me again through the left side of the video phone screen. "Great! I'm leaving then, too! So, we can definitely travel together."

Mallory Weiss and I have known each other since the first grade, and she always has been super cheerful and easily excited. She's taller than me, like most of my classmates, and has wavy dark green hair that she almost always has pulled back. Though she can come across as just being a total airhead, she's really not. Plus, she's really excellent when it comes turning cartwheels, and doing yoga. So, maybe she's more of a cheerleader?

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing." I replied. I looked to the phone screen's right side where I had my other friend, Sam on a three way call. "How about you, Sam?"

He shrugged, and finally looked up from his copy of Professor Elm's letter. "I mean, sure. We might as well, but I'm really just trying to decide on which starter to choose. Chikorita, Totodile, or Cyndaquil? Who have you guys decided on?"

"Guys?" Mallory cried in bewilderment. "Why don't you just say girls? That's what we are!"

Same rolled his grey eyes. "As if I didn't know. Could we please stay on topic?"

Sam is probably the most serious ten year old that I know. Even back in pre-school he was like that. He looks pretty serious, too with his ear length honey-blond hair and grey eyes. He also happens to be the only kid in my class who's shorter than I am. We were both the runts in our early years of school, which may explain why we became friends in the first place.

"I'm definitely choosing Cyndaquil." I said. "It's small, cute, and it learns some pretty wicked fire type moods."

Mallory made a face. "Yeah, it's cute. But I heard that fire types go really crazy when there are magnets around or something. Anyway, I might choose Totodile. It's almost as cute, and I'll have instant water whenever I want. And, if I like drown, it'll be a total hero."

"If you really plan on drowning, then maybe you should just say home. And, furthermore, it's electric types who react badly to magnets, Mal." Same explained, rolling his eyes at her again. "If you _girls _go through with your choices that only leaves Chikorita." He shrugged. "Well, they're supposed to be the easiest to train, being a grass type and all."

"Okay, why don't all three of us go there tomorrow to grab them?" Mallory suggested, smiling. "That way, we'll be able to train them some before we leave."

Sam and I both agreed, and the phone conversation ended.

…

After a quick five minutes, our video phone did manage to make a connection with another phone at the Goldenrod Pokémon Center. The Nurse Joy there called Aaron down from the Pokémon Center's training grounds, and I was soon faced to face with my older brother.

"Hey, Gwen." Aaron said with a grin on his face. "Long time no see. How's it going, kid?"

Aaron is tall for his age, with my dad's hazel eyes and my mom's dark brown hair, which falls in soft waves on his forehead. Most girls at my school have crushes on him, and I can even admit that he's kind of good looking. He left home about three months ago, when he turned twelve. And, now, on the phone, he looked and sounded really happy.

I smiled, ready to announce the news to him. "I'm leaving this Saturday for my journey."

"Seriously?" Aaron raised an eyebrow at me. "What did you have to do to get Mom to agree? Bribe her?"

I shook my head. "No, I just talked until she was convinced. But, to be honest, I think she believes that I'll hate it or something. Kind of like she wants to say I told you so or whatever. Anyway, I'm getting my supplies and starter tomorrow. And soon, I might meet up with you."

"Wait, you plan on getting some ordinary starter from Elm?" Aaron looked at me with surprise evident in his eyes. "I would think that you'd want to be much more original, Gwen. You know like me."

Aaron bought a Magby as his starter from an adoption center, where he stated that trainers rarely had their region starters any longer. I had always found that comment to be a little odd, but I sometimes thought that maybe my brother was right.

"I'm not about to waste money on a Pokémon, Aaron." I finally said. "I mean, I'll have food and everything to worry about."

"That's really okay, kid. Cause, I already sent you a starter. My Delibird, Hermes, should be at the house in a few more minutes, and you won't have to get some lame Totodile or anything. Consider it to be a really late birthday gift from your bro." He grinned at me, but in a super mischievous way. "Just wait until you see what Pokémon it is."

"What?" I cried, glaring at Aaron. "It's not a Grimer, or anything right? Aaron?"

My brother quickly closed the connection between phones without responding. I glared at the now blank phone screen, thinking about what he had said. What kind of Pokémon did my crazy brother decide to send to me?

**Alright, well, I'm glad to finally start the revised version of my old Pokémon fanfiction. I hope that it was enjoyable enough **


	2. And the Mystery Pokemon is

**I'm very happy to have received two reviews and several Story Alert emails after only the first chapter. It kind of amuses me since when I first had this story on the site, it took two days for one review. However, I was very inexperienced as a writer then, and this story had a rather lame title then.**

**Even so, I'm very appreciative. Thanks a bunch!**

**Chapter 2: And the Mystery Pokémon is…**

_Wednesday, March 23__rd__ 4:37 pm_

I stared at the blank phone screen for a full two minutes, my mind busily trying to process what my brother may have sent me. Knowing how comical Aaron enjoyed being, I pondered on whether he had sent me a Magikarp or a Feebas just so that I'd have issues. Or maybe he's really trying to be sincere, and he sent me something cool and exotic like a Dratini.

As cool as that would be, I knew for a fact that it wasn't true. Seriously, I was better of just getting a darn Cyndaquil. Still, a part of me was curious to see what Pokémon it would be, and I felt excited for the arrival of Hermes.

I posted myself on a green window seat by the bay window which looked out into the backyard. Dad was done watering the grass, and he was now typing something out for work on one of our computers, so the Lombre were the only ones outside at the moment, asleep under a tall shady tree. Five minutes passed and I could feel anticipation clenching itself into my stomach.

The intense smell of pot roast wafted into my nose from the kitchen, and I was tempted to see how far along Granny was with dinner. My stomach growled at the thought of resisting, and I grew extremely restless. To ease the feelings, I twitched my legs to an uneven rhythm that went through my head.

Soon, a feathery red and white bird like Pokémon flew down onto the grassy back lawn, its soft white head looking around the yard for something. Leon and Aqua awoke from their snoozes, and stared at the flying type in bewilderment. I jumped up from my seat, and ran out the sliding glass door.

Hermes's shiny black eyes stopped searching about and finally settled on me. He shuffled in my direction to greet me, with one of his red wings grabbing at something inside of his sack like tail. He finally pulled a cardboard box from the bag, and handed it to me. Reaching his wing back into the sack, he also pulled out an envelope, which he also placed into my hands.

"Thanks, Hermes." I said, petting his soft feathers with one hand. I held both the thin package and the letter tightly in my other hand as I settled myself on a light green lawn chair. After placing the box carefully on the small table beside the chair, I tore the envelope open. Three folds of paper fell out, and after picking them up one of them was read.

_Dear Gwen,_

_I'm truly sorry that I wasn't there for your tenth birthday, kid. Hopefully, the two gifts that I've sent will make up for my absence or something. Anyway, happy birthday, sis, and may you find good fortune on your day. Either that or some way to get Mom to let you out into the world like the good soldier that you are. _(I rolled my eyes at my brother's odd way of writing) _If convincing doesn't work, maybe this Pokémon that I sent you will help out a bit._

_Now, young Gwendolyn, don't go all crazy on our dear mother. Don't turn all Grand Theft Auto or anything. Just be calm, and your new Pokémon will assist you._

_And, also, about that dear thing. I caught it near Goldenrod City, and it already knows some excellent moves. Plus, it's very quick and agile. To be honest, it's probably the best Pokémon that a trainer could ask for _(I looked for some kind of catch in the words). _However, there is one big problem. _(Oh, there it is)

_This Pokémon is quite reckless and disobedient. The Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney, had trouble in helping me control it, and she eventually threw me out of her gym. Honestly, the chick's tougher than she looks _(I raised my eyebrow at that sentence). _Still, maybe you'll manage to work with it or something._

_Your other gift is some money, in check form of course. It's about over a thousand in Pokédollars, and just so you know, I didn't rob a bank or anything. I did, however, enter in a fantastic battle tournament. It wasn't broadcasted on TV or anything, but because I made it to the final round, I did get the 2__nd__ place prize. _

_Buy Colin a Charizard Warrior toy or something. I didn't have enough room to send him one, but fifty bucks of that check is his to spend._

_Okay, so, have a good one, kid! Don't contact me if you need help, ha!_

_-Aaron_

Aaron's "lovely" letter made me worry even more about this mystery Pokémon. I was now certain that I would find something icky like a Grimer or a Koffing. I eyed the package with a suspicious glance, but I knew that it would have to be opened eventually. First, I read the check that Aaron had sent me. Then, after securing the check into my pocket, I picked it up off of the table, and prepared myself to open it.

Hermes was still there, and had positioned himself on top of the yard's white fence. I had a feeling that he knew the mystery Pokémon already, and planned on making a quick getaway as soon as it was released from its Pokeball. The two Lombre, Aqua and Leon, had inched closer to my chair with curious looks on their greenish faces.

After staring down at the box with hesitation, I unwrapped its brown paper wrapping, and opened the box lid. Inside was a single red and white sphere, a Pokeball. Picking it up carefully with both hands, I stood up and prepared myself to release the Pokémon within.

"Alright, then," I took one last deep breath, and pressed a finger onto the smooth button of the Pokeball. "Come on out, whatever you are."

A red beam of light emerged from the button, as the Pokeball itself flew out of my hand and into the air. The red light hovered to the ground and formed itself into a tall shape. When the Pokeball landed a few inches away from me on the ground, the red light faded. I cried out in surprise at the Pokémon that stood where the light had once been.

This Pokémon was around my height, give or take an inch. It was mainly light green, but with cream coloration. Long, thin wings protruded from the Pokémon's back, which it twitched every now and then. It feet were green, but with cream claws. And, as for arms, this Pokémon appeared to have long blade like things attached to its shoulders. Yep, that's right.

My dear brother sent me a freaking Scyther.

Once that little piece of info sunk in, I let out one long shriek that echoed into the air. The Scyther was still blinking its eyes and stretching out its limbs, but I knew that it would eventually notice me. Now, here's a weird thing about me. I really don't like giant bug types.

I mean, I like small bugs like Ledyba, and I think Butterfree are pretty cute. But, I absolutely freak out around really huge ones like Pinsir and Parasect. They just really freak me out at the worst of times, something that Aaron knows too well.

As I stood frozen, I racked different plans for revenge in my mind. Nothing seemed good enough to use on Aaron, and soon I had to turn my attention back onto the green bug type. It was walking towards me with its blades raised and an accusing look in its dark eyes. I backed away slowly, hoping to near the glass door for a means of escape.

"Scyther!" It raised its blades towards me again, and cried out even louder. "Scythe!" It stopped pointing them at me, and lowered them to its sides. Still, its eyes stayed the same. It was almost as if it were angry at me about something that I didn't do. "Scyther!"

I glanced over at the Lombre and Hermes, hoping for some sign of rescue. Aqua was already crawling towards me, while both Leon and the Delibird were chuckling with some kind of glee. If I ever got through this, the first I would do would b to wring their laughing necks.

"Lombre, lom!" Aqua scurried in front of me with her arms raised. Her usually tired looking eyes held a level gaze with Scyther, so I had a feeling of hope for the Lombre's calming ability. "Lombre."

Scyther glared at both of us, and shrugged its sharp shoulders. It turned away from us, and glared at the still chuckling Pokémon. Without warning, the bug type charged at the two of them, raising its blades. Both Leon and Delibird let out loud cries of alarm and both of them quickly scurried away.

"Lombre!" Leon turned his green head, and shot a Water Gun in Scyther's direction.

Scyther responded by smacking the hit away with one of its blade-like forearms. It growled menacingly at Leon, and slowly stalked towards him. Again, like some crazy mad man, it charged with a Quick Attack move. Leon was thrown back into one of our rose bushes, where his drowsy eyes looked mildly confused.

I stared at Scyther with wide eyes, my body still completely frozen. Hermes shot out Ice Ball as Scyther approached him again with his blades, but Scyther was quick, and able to dodge. Soon, the Delibird was thrown into the flower bed of petunias, where a good deal of the pale pink flowers were squashed.

Aqua was now making her way towards Scyther to calm it, so I managed to regain life and pick up the Scyther's fallen Pokeball. Pointing it towards the bug type, I clicked the button and the red light appeared again. It wrapped itself around the still fighting Scyther, and it soon dissolved into the ball.

Clutching the Pokeball tightly in my hand, I slid onto the grass. There, I took a few deep breaths of relief. Focusing my eyes on the yard, I surveyed the damage. Leon was now trying to straighten a few crooked roses, while Hermes was looking anxiously at the ruined petunias.

Aqua eyed the Pokeball that I held, and simply shook her head when our eyes met. Now, I had no ideas of revenge for Aaron, but I did know one thing. I'm way better off getting a Cyndaquil from Elm.

…

_Wednesday, March 23__rd__ 5:58 pm_

At dinner, I had to explain to Dad the reason for his ruined flowers. Lucky for me, I wasn't at all blamed, but Aaron sure was. This wasn't really revenge, but at least I was able to kind of get back at him.

"You would think that at twelve he'd be responsible with the Pokémon he decides to send to his younger sister. I mean, seriously?" Dad shook his head as he smothered his salad in ranch dressing. You can tell when he's feeling frustrated about something because of the way he pays little attention to anything.

Mom was quick to defend Aaron, as she usually does. "Now, maybe he wanted Gwen to experience hardships before her journey, Daryl. We can't just assume that it was simply to be irritating. You know Aaron and his jokes."

Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Aaron was just trying to add onto the hard crap that trainers put up with. Seriously? And, yeah, Mom, we can assume all we want. Heck, it's not even assuming! We all know that Aaron's jokes involve irritating people. Of course, we all know that he does hardly any wrong in your eyes.

My mother continued in not making sense by contradicting every word that she had just said. "You know, maybe this was a sort of test. Because Gwen couldn't control this crazy Pokémon, she's failed and needs to wait two more years."

What?

I looked up from Granny's homemade pot roast and gave Mom a look that clearly said_, seriously_? It's easy to guess that my mother favors Aaron. It's mainly because he's the oldest and they've always been pretty close. I grew up with it, and to be honest it's not a big deal. IT's not like she buys him things, but ignores the rest of us. But she does seem to side with him often.

Of course, there have been several occasions in the past where he did get in trouble. And besides, it seems as if most parents favor at least one of their kids in some way. Some people say that I'm my dad's favorite while Colin is who Granny favors, but they both treat us the same way.

I thought this over in my head as my parents continued to discuss random topics. Both of them always managed to go back to talking about my upcoming departure, and there was soon a rather heated debate.

"Gwen is only ten years old, Daryl!" My mother insisted, looking at my father with determined eyes. "She's just a child."

Dad shook his head in response. "Charlotte, ten is the official age for Pokémon journeys. I left home when I was ten. If you don't believe me, ask my mother." He gestured to Granny who regarded him with a look. I watched as Dad returned her look with a pleading one.

Granny sighed, but defended my father. "It's true. Daryl was very quick to leave home after his brother, Phil, left. We lived in Kanto then. I remember how excited he was when he received his Squirtle from Professor Oak. But, anyway, yes, he was only ten."

Dad whispered something inaudible under his breath, and after a brief few seconds of silence, he spoke up. "Honestly, you agreed to this, Charlotte. It's really too late to change your mind now. Gwen is going and that's my final decision."

"Wait a second!" We all turned to look at Colin, whose mouth was bulging with food. He swallowed the mouthful and spoke. "If Gwen leaves, I'm going to be the only child, right?"

Granny nodded. "Of course."

I watched as Colin grinned at the idea. I guess he was fed up with being shadowed by two older kids, which meant that be really okay with me leaving. Mom and Dad continued talking, but the subject of me leaving soon left the air.

Through the large glass window in the dining room, I watched as the Pokémon ate their meals. The two Lombre had water weeds mixed into their food, while Hermes was eating out of a large bowl with Chase, my Dad's Swellow. My Dad's Blastoise, Hydro, was through eating, and was lazily lying on his stomach. Curled up next to him was my mom's Furret and Persian, who were both snoozing.

My psychotic Scyther was out there too, but he wasn't socializing casually with the others. He was glaring at everyone as he shoved food pellets into his greedy little mouth.

I scowled at the thought of wasting money to feed that bug type, but I had a feeling that he'd be very useful in gym battles. But, the crazy bug hated me, so how useful could he get?

…

_Thursday, March 24__th__ 8:12 am_

The next morning, I was up bright and early. I neatened the thick orange comforter on my bed, and I quickly got ready for the day. After brushing my hair and pushing it back with a headband, I ran downstairs and ate a hasty bowl of cereal.

Dad was up early as well, reading the newspaper. As I swallowed spoonful after spoonful of Chatot Loops in a quick fashion, he gave me a look of amusement.

"What's with the rush?" He asked, chuckling. "The mall's not about to close or anything."

I shrugged. "I'm expecting Mom to run down here with a hammer to bolt the door shut. You know, so I don't try to escape or anything?"

Dad shook his head, laughing. "Your mother's not that crazy, though she's close enough." Dad's hazel eyes skimmed over the newspaper's small black print. "Maybe I'll write a column about that for the New Bark Crier, huh?"

In his days of college, my dad did a lot of small jobs for newspapers for part time jobs. He made a good deal of money when he was nineteen after selling the first clear photos of the legendary red Gyarados. After some time as major in journalism, my dad left college and has done some top stories. He once explored some burned tower in Ecruteak City, and though his story was really about damage to buildings, the photos that he took were pretty cool.

Now, he works as an editor for New Barks newspaper, and he's occasionally a columnist.

"Just change the names to protect the innocent, Dad." I said, smiling.

After twenty minutes, we were soon driving into the malls' parking lot in Dad's silver mini-van. Colin tagged along with us, and I also brought my crazy Scyther, in his Pokeball of course.

G Mart, a very reliable store in the mall, was not at all crowded. Most trainers left on their journeys a few weeks ago, which meant that everything was well stocked. Traveling supplies was bought, such as sleeping bag and what not. Dad also bought me a Pokégear in the electronics department in case I needed to make calls or whatever.

At the Persian United Bank, I opened an account. I deposited most of the money from Aaron, and gave Colin his part of the money. This wasn't the brightest of ideas, since the kids blew half of the money on toys and enough candy to put a grown Donphan into a sugar coma.

Still, as soon as I was gone, he'd have the freedom and full attention from two parents and a grandmother.

I used some of the money from Aaron to buy a couple of sensible, but stylish outfits from a clothing store, and I eventually decided to head to the downstairs hair salon.

As we took an escalator to the first floor of the mall, I told Dad my reasonable plan. I had decided to cut my hair.

"For real?" Dad raised both of his eyebrows in surprise at my statement. "But it's not that long."

I tugged on my wavy locks, and sighed. "For traveling it is. And, anyway, I just want it to be around shoulder length or whatever. I mean, I'm not going to have time to do my hair when I'm exploring jungles and stuff. Besides," I held my Scyther's Pokéball up in my hand. "This crazy fiend will turn my hair white before I know it."

The transition took about ten minutes, and soon the salon's pale blue tile flooring had several snips of my hair littered on it. As I looked at the salon's mirror walls, I fingered my now shoulder length hair, a little shocked at my own decision. Still, it was sensible and reasonable.

After eating lunch in the food court, we were driving on the road, towards the Pokémon lab. Colin was having a party in the backseat, playing with his new action figures, and getting himself sick with fruit drops and chocolate bars. Dad kept glancing at me as he drove, either to take in the new hairstyle or to simply get a mental picture of me in his mind.

After all, I would be leaving.

"Do you want us to come in with you?" Dad asked, as we pulled up to the side of the lab's two story, pristine white building. "Or do you want us to wait?"

I shook my head. "Not at all, Dad. I'll walk home with Mallory and Sam. They'll be here." I got out of the van, and closed the passenger door.

Dad nodded, and smiled. "All right, I'll see you at home. By the way, Gwen, I love the new style."

"Thanks, Dad."

…

_Thursday, March 24__th__ 2:24 pm_

I walked up the concrete steps, and entered the front glass door of the Pokémon lab. Inside, the walls were painted a blinding white color, and everything was extremely organized to the fullest. One of Elm's assistants, a dark haired lady with horn rimmed glasses, was typing furiously on a computer.

Another assistant stood next to a tall, gray lab table, filling up three bowls with Pokémon food. All three Johto starters sat on the table side by side, looking prepared to begin eating. Professor Elm was reading something of a clipboard, and he occasionally rubbed his thinning light brown hair.

As my eyes examined the room, my legs walked towards the Johto starters. I pulled the letter out of my pocket, but before I could even utter a word, a scream cried out from behind me.

"Gwen!" I spun around and saw Mallory entering the lab with a very bewildered look on her face. As she stepped inside, her arms fell to her sides, but her expression stayed the same. "What did you do to your hair? It's so short! I mean, wow!"

I smiled sheepishly in response. "Yeah, I kind of did. When will I ever find time to care for it while I'm traveling?"

Mallory walked up beside me, her eyes still focused on my hair length. "Gosh! I mean, it looks great and everything, really. I wonder what Sam'll think."

"Knowing him, he probably won't even notice." I turned back to where Professor Elm. His assistants had not been bothered at all by Mallory's shriek, but Elm looked quite baffled.

"Um, and you might be?" He stuttered looking Mallory up and down. "Are you Melanie, Franklin Weiss's daughter?" His eyebrows were arched so severely in surprise it was almost as if they had minds of their own.

Mallory gave him a patient smile. "No, I'm Mallory Weiss. Melanie is actually my two year old sister. But, anyway," I already knew that her bubbly personality was going to make an appearance. "I'm here to get my first Pokémon, like my good friend here, Gwen Jenkins."

Professor Elm turned his attention to me, and I could feel my cheeks going red as he stared. I had my Scyther's Pokeball stuffed into my back pocket, but I wasn't whether it would be okay to tell him that. I wasn't about to leave home with some psychotic pray mantis, but what if I wasn't allowed to take Cyndaquil, since I already had a Pokémon.

I finished my thoughts quickly once Elm finally spoke. "Ah, your Daryl's only daughter, right? Brilliant, I'm surprised to see either of you here so late. I sent out those letters at least a week ago." He scribbled something down on his clipboard, and set it aside on his desk. "The two of you have yours with you?"

"Yes." We replied in unison, pulling them out.

Professor Elm took both letters from the two us, and stepped aside. "Well, that's about it. Just go ahead and take whichever of the three that you want for your first Pokemon."

Mallory ran ahead and quickly grabbed the Totodile's Pokeball, which she held tightly in her hand. "Yep, the water type's my choice!"

Totodile grinned at her like a mad man, and waved his slippery blue arms in the air towards her. "Dile!"

I walked slowly past Professor Elm and to the two remaining Pokémon. Ignoring the feeling of guilt that lurked in my stomach, I reached a tentative hand towards the Cyndaquil's Pokeball. I looked up at the Cyndaquil, who smiled at me in response.

"Cynda!" He cried, in a slightly squeaky voice. He raised his tiny little arms towards me, and dropped them to his sides. He seemed very friendly, and would definitely be simple and easy to raise. I could tell that he was mainly easygoing from the look in his squinty eyes.

Still, as tempting as it was, I simply let my hand hover over the Pokeball. I eventually pulled it back to my side, and turned to face Professor Elm. Even if most people called me rebellious, I wasn't about to play pretend or whatever.

"Is something wrong, Gwen?" Professor Elm asked, raising his eyebrows.

I looked him in the eyes, not to intimidate but to explain. "Well, no. But, professor, Cyndaquil won't actually be my first Pokémon." He still looked confused, so I continued, "See, my older brother, Aaron sent me a Pokémon yesterday, but it's the most rambunctious thing that I've ever met." I searched my mind for some other words to use as a longer explanation, but none came to mind.

Mallory stopped smiling at her new Pokeball, and glanced over at me in surprise. "We've known each other since first grade, and I'm just now hearing this?"

Professor Elm's eyebrows straightened, and he smiled. "Oh, I know your brother. I used to go over to his school to teach the kids information and everything. Gosh, that kid was certainly a handful." He stopped reminiscing, and continued. "Well, every kid in both Cherrygrove and New Bark are entitled to a starter once they reach the age of ten. They can even have one other Pokémon if they want to. It's a different manner with other regions, but definitely not here, Gwen."

I raised my own eyebrows, trying to see if he was being honest. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really. If I may ask, what Pokémon did your brother send you?"

Pulling the Scyther's Pokeball from the pocket of my jacket, I held it up to Elm's height. "He sent me a Scyther, even though he knows how much giant bug types freak me out."

"A Scyther?" Elm took the Pokeball from my hand, and examined it closely. "Ah, they're very agile in battle. And, yes, they're very disobedient to begin with. However, Gwen, if you raise it well it will soon become your most trusted Pokémon. Honest."

"Until then, I'll just try not to get killed." I said in a joking manner, taking the Pokeball back.

After pocketing Scyther, I finally picked up Cyndaquil and his Pokeball. The guilt in my stomach was gone and replaced with a sudden rush of excitement. Though one of them was aggressive, I truly did have two Pokémon. And in less than two days time, I would be off into the large Pokémon world.

As I thought this over in my head with a feeling of joy, a certain someone burst through the lab doors. The three of us turned, and I saw both of Elm's assistants finally look up from their work. It was obviously Sam, but he not only looked out of breath, but more anxious than usual. His usually neat blond hair was rumpled and his gray eyes looked intense.

Either he nearly died while riding his bike, or something else happened. Despite his noticeable exhaustion, Sam ran up to us, waving his letter in the air.

"I'm alive and here!" He cried, sweat glistening on his forehead.

I looked over at Elm to see his expression at the abrupt arrival, and he looked truly even more bewildered then before. I thought I heard him whisper along the lines of, "Lots of interesting kids today."

"Sam! What happened to you?" Mallory stared at him with her hands on her hips. Standing on her tiptoes, she looked him up and down with surprise. She was way taller than him even on ground level. "You look as if you just outran a stampede or something."

"Are you okay, dear?" Elm's female assistant asked, walking over to Sam with a look of concern in her brown eyes. "Do you need a glass of water at all? Maybe you should sit down." She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder, and attempted to lead him to a chair.

I had a feeling that the assistant thought that Sam was a confused eight year old or something. Compared Mallory and I, he does look pretty young. He's confused with being a small kid more often than me, but he usually doesn't make a big deal about it.

Sam's intense eyes looked up at the assistant, and his expression was a little confused. "What? Uh, no thank you, I'm fine." Even when he's exhausted he still manages to be polite. He turned his grey eyes to Professor Elm, still tense. "I'm here for the Chikorita, sir." He handed Elm the letter quickly.

Professor Elm shook his head, as if to clear any surprised thoughts. He nodded, and stepped aside to allow Sam room to squeeze past. "Of course, Samuel."

Sam does however hate it when he's called by his real name, but he must've been really tired since he completely ignored that part of the sentence. His eyes turned soft as he approached the remaining Johto starter, who cried out with joy at his arrival.

"Chikor!" Chikorita smiled, and cried in a high pitched, piping voice. "Chikor?"

Sam smiled, and nodded. "You're definitely my choice."

Professor Elm looked at all three of us with another bewildered expression. He finally closed his eyes and raised his hands to his head to massage his temples. After a couple of quick seconds of silence, Elm's other assistant approached us, carrying the usual Johto Pokédexes. We were each handed one, and the whole set up was explained.

Soon, the three of us left the lab, waving good bye to the still bewildered Elm as we walked down the dusty road to our neighborhood. Each of us carried our respective starter, and for awhile we rattled on with excitement.

"So, Sam," I began to say, looking at the shorter boy. "What was with your entrance? I mean, seriously, what happened?"

Sam balanced his Chikorita in one arm, and pulled a Pokeball from his new yellow backpack with the other. "You know my sister, Kim? Well, she's in Kanto right now, doing some Pokémon breeding. She sent me this newly hatched Doduo as a kind of gift. That and because she had nothing else to do with him really." His eyes became thoughtful, but he eventually went on. "I spent most of this morning training him, and he was a good ride to the lab. But, it was seriously bumpy."

"Wow, a Doduo? Can I see it?" I asked with a hopeful voice.

Sam stuffed the Pokeball back into his pack, and shook his head. "You can tomorrow. Yoko 's resting now. The two of us really worked up a sweat."

"You named it Yoko?" Mallory asked with curiosity. Before she even received a response, she turned to ask me a question. "How about we see that aggressive Scyther of yours, Gwen?"

"What?" I cried, petting Cyndaquil on the head, lightly. "What part of 'it's crazy' do you not understand? I'll show you tomorrow if possible, but not today."

Sam sighed, but despite that he smiled. "Well, it's truly great that we'll be traveling together, huh _girls_?"

**Okay, so there wasn't too much going on in this chapter, but it was still needed. Anyway, yes, I gave Gwen a Scyther, especially since it's almost never used in Pokémon stories nowadays. Plus, it's a really good bug type, just under looked.**

**I hope that whoever is out there enjoyed the chapter, even if it was slightly filler. R & R, people!**


	3. The First Departure

**Chapter 3: The First Departure**

_Friday, March 25__th__ 11:08 am_

The morning of Friday was spent with more preparations for Saturday's departure. I cleaned my room, thoroughly, knowing that I probably wouldn't be seeing it for awhile. I packed everything up into the violet backpack that I had purchased the day before, and I was eventually prepared for tomorrow.

After setting my clothes onto my bed, ironed and folded neatly, I grabbed both Cyndaquil and Scyther's Pokéballs, and hurried outside to meet up with Sam and Mallory. We decided that some training would be the best idea, especially since we had the rest of the day to practice battles, and enough time to understand our new Pokémon.

* * *

_Friday, March 25__th__ 1:24 pm_

Sam's Doduo, Yoko, proved to be a very reliable Pokémon. He was a light brown flying type with two heads, and with his two long necks he was actually taller than Mallory by a good nine inches. His feathery back was large enough for two kids to ride on, though it seemed as if it depended on size. Even though he was tough, he grew tired easily, but not before showing off his Fury Attack.

"Doduo!" Yoko thrusted both of his heads into the trunk of a tree, synchronizing. His beaks pecked into the tree, causing it to sway out of balance. Once he was through with the attack, Yoko stepped aside to reveal two deep holes that ran right into the trees.

Sam was obviously pleased. "Great job. That's an improvement from yesterday for sure." He patted both of his Doduo's heads, and smiled. "All right, now, Blossom, let's practice on your Razor Leaf attack."

Blossom, which was his choice nickname for Chikorita, whirled the giant leaf that protruded from her head. She ran towards the tree, her leaf still twirling. As soon as her stubby legs brought her in front of the trunk, she slammed her leaf against the trunk will all of her might.

"Chikor!" Blossom cried, finishing up the Razor Leaf. She jumped aside to show the long slash that now ran through the trunk, alongside the holes. "Chikorita!"

Sam gently patted his Chikorita's head, going around the leaf. "Good job." He sort of applauded, earning an easy smile from Blossom.

Mallory and I raised our eyebrows a bit at the aftermath. I expected something more, like a fallen trunk, but maybe this was how all beginner grass types were with their moves. Either that or Sam was just clapping for no particular reason. Either way, both of his Pokémon were doing their best with their moves, which was really good compared to the rest of us.

My Cyndaquil, who I finally just began to call Spykes, listened and managed to produce a decent Ember attack on a thick branch. Though it did not burst into flames, it was charred a good deal, and Spykes did put his best effort forward.

Also for my Scyther, though he wasn't threatening to attack us, he still glared. As we trained, he stayed under the shade of a thick willow tree, his eyes glaring at us all the while through the shadows. Every so often, he would show slight interest in the training, but he always changed his expression to boredom or disgust whenever I glanced in his direction.

Mallory's Totodile, who she was still trying to nickname, was a kind Pokémon. However, he was extremely hyper. He was constantly running about, thrashing his arms and spurting Water Gun at random targets. It wasn't so much that he was being disobedient; he just wasn't too into the training.

After being soaked to the skin for the umpteenth time, Sam and I both asked Mallory to control her water type. She solved the problem by leading her Totodile over to where Scyther was. Totodile actually obeyed her instructions, and he ended up pestering Scyther instead.

"Scythe!" Scyther stood up from his spot under the tree, and moved to a different one, where he leaned against the trunk. He cried out in anger as Totodile followed him. "Scyther!"

"Mal, no offense, but your Totodile's a nuisance." Sam stated, shaking his head. His face suddenly lit up and he grinned. "Hey, why don't you name him that? Nu for short?"

I gave him a look. "Sam, seriously? Besides, my Scyther needs to learn some humility. And, I really need a good nickname for him."

"How about Stu, short for stupid?" Sam suggested, still in the mood to irritate. We both sat down on the grass under a tall leafy tree with bottles of lemonade while the Pokémon continued practicing their moves. "Or, how about JP? Short for Johto Psycho, of course!"

"Your jokes are extremely lame." Mallory muttered, leaning her back against the tree's branch. Her blue eyes were on her Totodile, and looked thoughtful as she watched bug Scyther further. "Hm, I think I'll call him Tsu."

"What?" Sam cried, looking at Mallory. "Sue? You do know that your Totodile is a guy, right?"

Mallory glared at him, looking irritated. "Not Sue, as in Suzanne, Sam. I mean T-S-U, Tsu. Short for Tsunami, obviously." She turned her attention away from him, as if she were annoyed beyond repair.

Sam rolled his eyes at her. "Actually, it's really not that obvious, Mal." He turned back to me. "Anyway, as for your nickname issues, Gwen, think about his abilities. Like how about Blade? Or maybe Scissors?"

I took a long sip of refreshing lemonade, savoring the feeling of sweet coolness dribble down my throat. On a sunny day like now, lemonade is always the best thing to have on hand. I took one last long sip, and I would've taken another if Sam wasn't staring at me, awaiting an answer. The continual drinking made me gasp for breath, but I finally answered my short friend.

"I'm trying to be original with his name, and I've seen way too many Pinsir name Blade. But, maybe I could name him after a movie character…" I paused and thought for a moment before finally voicing some thoughts. "How about Bladerunner? Or Bond, like from the James Bond films?"

Sam shook his head in dislike. "Bond doesn't even make sense. That Scyther's just annoying, not some spy. And Bladerunner is way too long of a name."

"Fine, then. What other movies have I seen with my dad and Aaron…"Again, I paused to think about, and I soon knew what name to use. "I know! Zorro! It makes perfect sense. Plus, my Scyther's trademark could be a cape with a Z slashed into it." I jumped to my feet with joy. "It's brilliant!"

Sam shrugged his shoulders as he took a quick sip. "I guess. It's kind of on the dorky side, but it's much better than Tsu." This earned him another glare from Mallory.

_

* * *

__Friday, March 25__th__ 9:34 pm_

That night, I lay in bed with the covers pulled up close to my chin. I was surrounded by my many Pokédolls, staring at the white ceiling. Spykes was curled up on a large blue pillow in the corner of my room, while Zorro was leaning against the wall, surprisingly asleep. My mind was wandering with thoughts, and I really couldn't stop thinking about the future events that would take place the next day.

I would be leaving the safety of my home, and heading out to the real world. My survival skills would be testred, as well as book and street smarts. Overall, this would be my very chance to prove myself, not only as a Pokémon trainer, but as an actual person.

With my mind still plagued with images, some joyful, some not, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

_

* * *

__Saturday, March 26__th__ 8:17 am_

The morning of my departure began quite early. I opened my eyes to a brightened room, lit with the sunshine that glowed through my window. I jumped out of bed, feeling my stomach tighten with a sense of excitement.

Due to being a sloppy sleeper, it took me about five minutes to make my bed and straighten my dolls. As I patted the comforter, I felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of not sleeping in this bed for awhile. It was rather dumb, but who has ever left home without thinking of something similar at least?

"Cyndaquil, cynda!" Spykes smiled at me once he awoke. "Quil?"

I smiled in return. "Yep, we're leaving today. Can the two of you head downstairs? I have to get ready and everything…" Sure, it wasn't as if they were perverts, but both of my Pokémon _were _male.

Spykes nodded and scurried out of the room in order to obey my request. Zorro looked me right in the eyes and grunted. He shrugged his sharp shoulders and left the room as well. Either that was his way of saying greeting people or he's really not a morning person, er, Pokémon.

I dressed quickly in one of my sensible traveling outfits. Like I said, it was cute, but reasonable. It consisted of a violet vest over a soft gray shirt with long sleeves and a hem that went a little close to the knees, dark navy-blue, loose fitting trousers, and a pair of sensible ankle-high purple hiking boots. I chose this particular traveling outfit because it resembled one that I saw in a Pokémon comic book.

The main character, a blond girl named Yellow, had been really cool, and I hoped to use her experience for certain situations on my journey.

After tying the strings of the shirt behind my back, I hurried over to my vanity desk with its oval mirror. I ran a brush through my shorter golden brown hair, but not much was done to it. Sure, it looked groomed, but what was there to do with shoulder length hair? I eventually just pinned my hair back with a gray bow tied Alice band.

I did the other usual morning rituals, and trounced down the stairs to the dining room. My parents were already there, and the table was laden with several breakfast platters. It looked as if chocolate chip waffles and scrambled eggs were on the menu.

I sat down beside Dad, and checked to see what Zorro and Spykes were doing. Both of them were eating waffles close to the room's wooden table, and even my Scyther appeared to be enjoying the meal. I greeted my parents and quickly piled my plate high with steaming food. When would I have the time to have a home cooked meal like this ever again?

My parents were rather quiet, especially my mom. However, once Colin and Granny were awake, conversations soon piped up. Eventually, breakfast ended, and I went around the house, saying good bye to anything that I could think of. After that, I made my way to the wooden front door, my two full Pokéballs strapped to my belt and my backpack slung over my back.

Everyone was there to see me off on my departure, even my parents' Pokémon.

"Well, Gwen," Dad began to say with a wistful smile. "This is it."

I smiled back and nodded. "Seriously, I'll be back. And, I'll contact you guys as much as I can, really." I hugged both Granny and an excited Colin, and I was eventually left with my mother, whose lips were firm as she looked at me.

"I can't believe that you're actually leaving." She said, biting her bottom lip. "My only daughter is leaving home, gosh!" Her blue eyes welled with tears as I was hugged tightly. Once she let go, she began to dry her tears and finally cracked a smile. "I want you to excel, Gwen. You know that, right?"

"Of course." I nodded my head, feeling the familiar feeling of sorrow in my throat. "I'll call you guys whenever I can. I promise. And, I will be excellent, for sure."

All alone except for my Pokémon and equipment, I walked briskly down the familiar stone path of our front yard. I walked a little faster to the upcoming route, looking back every so often to wave. It wasn't until they were completely out of sight, that I stopped waving back.

**Okay, so I know that most people hate it when an OC's clothing is explained, but how else does a reader know what they're wearing? Those of you who read the Pokémon Adventures manga probably noticed that Gwen's traveling outfit is very similar to Yellow's.**

**I did that purposefully because I'm not the most creative when it comes to cute, traveling clothes. And, besides, Yellow's super cool. I really do hope that this chapter was enjoyable **


	4. A Journey Begins With A Single Step

**Chapter 4: A Journey Begins With A Single Step**

_Saturday, March 26__th__ 10:12 am_

I leaned against the smooth covering of a large, smooth gray rock. Tilting my head upwards, I stared at the clear blue sky, shielding my eyes from the brightening sun. The air was warm and felt a lot like summer, and I let out a sigh of content at the very thought.

"Freedom at last!" I said in a rather loud voice, sliding to the ground. My eyes still shielded, I gazed up and down the area I was in, which was located in the middle of Route 29. Pidgey were chirping in a nearby tree, and small Sentret were looking around on the tips of their long, striped tails. Other than that, no one was around. "Where are they?" I wondered.

Sam and Mallory were both supposed to meet me on Route 29, but they had not appeared nor called at all. Though savoring the thought of independence was nice, I was slowly growing bored as I waited. My stomach was still full from breakfast, so eating the sack lunch that I had packed was out of the question. And, I wasn't about to risk having Zorro run around the place, so training him was _way _out of the question.

So, what was there for me to do?

Groaning, I rummaged through my bag, and pulled my PokéMod out of the side pocket. I started a game of Advanced Tyrannitar Brawl, and I was soon sucked into the cyber world. Now, that might be something fun to do on a regular Saturday morning that one spends at home, but that is not how I pictured my journey beginning.

I fell even more into boredom as a full twenty minutes passed. While dodging rockfalls in the game, my violet Pokégear began to cry out in the "Bohemian Rhapsody" ringtone that I had set it on. An image of Sam appeared on the screen, and after turning my game off, I eagerly grabbed for it.

"Sam, where are you?" I cried in an irritated voice. I wasn't trying to sound that way, but I was really anxious to get a move on, and I couldn't leave without him _or_ Mallory. "I've been waiting for hours!"

He rolled his eyes in response, and sighed. "Stop being overdramatic, Gwendolyn. You might as well head to Cherrygrove right about now, because my mom won't let me leave." Behind him I could make out his mother standing with her hands placed on her hips.

"What did you do this time?" I asked, trying to sound pleasant. "Not pack or something? Come on, Samuel! Don't tell me that you're grounded."

"I'm not, but my mom is acting super frantic right now. She's been crying about her youngest leaving all morning, and now she's trying to overfeed me!" He chuckled. "You know, she's acting a lot like your mom, Gwen."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, except my mom has an excuse for being anxious. Your mom has said good bye to four kids before you, Sam. How can she suddenly stop coping? I mean, is she not letting you come at all?"

"Well, no. I'm definitely leaving, but probably not until noon."

I bit my lip to keep back a very loud and irritated groan, my eyes still on Sam. "Okay, what about Mallory?"

Sam shrugged. "Beats me. I've been trying to call her, but she won't pick up at all." He shrugged a second time. "Anyway, just head to Cherrygrove, Gwen. I'll check to see what Mal's doing on my way out, and we'll both be there before you know it. Okay?"

"Waiting is not one of my strong points, Samuel." I stood, and swung my back pack over my shoulder. With my eyebrows narrowed, I began trudging in the next city's direction, purposefully stomping my feet as loud as I could.

"Don't I know it? By the way, stomping is not going to bother anyone, unless the Pidgey are bothered. Ha!" He had another laugh, though I found nothing funny. Once he stopped, he grinned even wider at my angry expression. "Seriously, lighten up. It's not the end of the world. I'll see you, Spiky, and good old Johto Psycho in an hour." The screen of my Pokégear went blank, and I was left staring at it.

I stomped my way down the walking road, but I eventually stopped once my feet grew sore and my shoes grew dusty. I stopped by the side of the path to clean my boots with a Kleenex, wet from a water bottle. After a few minutes of rest, I began going in the same direction, without stomping I might add.

Even if my appearance wasn't bratty, my thoughts and attitude still were. I considered doing some Pokémon catching, but none of the nearby natives struck my attention. There aren't ever too many people who are stunned by Rattata and Sentret. And, Pidgey were way too dull.

What I really wanted to catch was an Electric-type, since I knew very well that the first gym leader specialized in Flying-types. Aaron once told me that after he faced off against the Violet City gym. Even so, Aaron had a Flaaffy with him, but there wasn't one in plain sight.

I continued walking without stopping again. My negative feelings faded ever so slightly as I entered the small little place of Cherrygrove City. Well, I wouldn't even call it a city, since it had a very town feeling to it.

Tall brown and tan colored houses lined two different car roads. There were two PokéMarts on either side of the entire city, and plenty of wilderness and trees. It was as if half of the place belonged to humans while nature claimed the other half.

Smackdab in the middle of all of this was a single two story Pokémon Center. Though I had never been in one before, a sense of welcome swept into me as I approached the front glass double doors. I entered through them, and whiffs of air met me in greeting. The place certainly had some excellent air conditioning!

The front room of the center was mainly white with light, pristine tiles, several bookcases, and a good deal of chairs, tables, and doors leading to different rooms. At a desk in the middle of the room, the infamous Nurse Joy stood, her hair very pink and her smile, kind.

"Hello, there," She said in a voice that was simply dripping with sweetness. "Do your Pokémon need healing at all, dear?" She tilted her head, slightly to the side, as if expecting a quick answer.

As I arrived at her desk, I shook my head in response. "Well, not at the moment. Is this the place to register for the Indigo League?" As I waited for an answer, I allowed my eyes to look around the clean building. It was as if the janitor dowsed it in bleach every morning. Yet the places smelled of fresh flowers, not cleaning products.

Nurse Joy's smile and response brought me back to Earth. "Yes, I'll just need to see your trainer card and Pokédex, and you'll be registered in no time." She flashed her smile again, and it struck me that it was a natural talent of hers. Were all of these Joys like that?

After about two minutes, I was officially registered as a trainer, and ready for anything. Well, sort of…

_Saturday, March 26__th__ 12:46 pm_

I booked a room with two bunk beds at the Pokémon Center. Despite being free, the room really wasn't too shabby, with a modest sized bathroom and cable TV. The windows in the room were rather small, but there was a sliding glass door that led to a tiny patio.

After depositing my bag on one of the beds, I ventured out of the Pokémon Center with only my Pokémon, a couple of Pokéballs, my Pokégear, and a sack lunch. On the outskirts of Cherrygrove, close to Route 29, I sat under a thin beige colored tree. I released both Zorro and Spykes from their Pokéballs, and filled their bowls with the tan pellets of Pokémon food.

I quickly ate a turkey sub sandwich, plus some chocolate chip cookies, and I was soon lounging against the tree with a pint sized bottle of grape soda. Taking quick sips, I watched as my two Pokémon finished eating. Spykes began to sniff around our little area when he was done. Zorro on the other hand, was content with sitting on his green bottom, glaring me right in the eyes.

"Would you please stop?" I cried, meeting his eyes straight on. With him narrowing his eyes even more at me, I plucked up enough courage to continue on. "Listen, I get it that you really don't like me or my brother much, but would you seriously waste time elsewhere?"

My Scyther jumped to his feet and approached me with his scythes up in the air. "Scyther!"

"See! You've got major insecurities!" I jumped to my feet, and though my voice was slightly quivering, I remained calm. "I mean, why should I even be feeding you? And, really, if you hate me so much, would you prefer it if I simply gave you away to some random trainer that comes by?" I slowly walked closer to him. "Hmmm?"

Zorro's eyes were so narrowed, they looked practically shut closed. "Scythe? Scyther!" He stopped glaring, and turned away from me with his nose in the air. He stalked off, his scythes swinging carelessly at the grass.

I didn't know a word in Pokémon speak, but I was pretty sure that my Scyther was trying to say that _I _wasn't worth the time. A thought came to my mind, one that sounded very easy. For the remainder of the hour, I ignored Zorro, and showered Spykes with complete attention. After all, two can play at that _little_ game.

_Saturday, March 26__th__ 1:23 pm_

At around one twenty three, I heard the sounds of water running. After returning my Pokémon to their Pokéballs, I headed towards the source, curious to see if there was a pond or river close by. If I couldn't catch an Electric type, then I could at least try and catch _something._

As I neared the sound, there was a familiar sounding voice calling out. "Yoko, I need you to use Quick Attack, once more!"

I was pretty certain that it was Sam's voice, and as I passed a thick gathering of trees, I arrived to the source. Sure enough, Sam stood with a Pokeball in hand, close to a large pond lined with some kind of plants. A few feet away from Sam, Yoko was charging a small, blue Pokémon with quick speed.

The Pokémon had big eyes, tiny lips, and a swirl sign on its stomach. It didn't have any arms, just two tiny useless looking feet. A big, semi transparent tail protruded behind it, and that was that. I dug my Pokédex out of my pocket, and quickly scanned the Pokémon, which from what I read, was a Poliwag.

"Poli!" The small blue Pokémon was knocked backwards by the move. He was knocked into the trunk of a tree, where he slid to the ground. I assumed that he was ready to be captured, but the water type proved me wrong by jumping to its tiny little feet. "Poliwag!"

A jet of light blue water shot out of the Poliwag's tiny lips and straight at Yoko. Yoko, using his two long legs, darted out of the way of fire, and charged at the Poliwag with Peck.

"Doduo!" Yoko knocked the Water-Type back to the ground where it stayed put.

I walked up beside Sam, and quickly whispered to him, "Hurry up and throw the Pokeball!"

Sam jumped at least a foot in the air, but he obeyed the command out of surprise. "Gwen!" He scolded, though he had his eyes on the airborne sphere. So did I.

It sailed through the air, towards Poliwag. I saw Sam tense up as his Pokeball approached the wild Pokémon, and I could feel myself tense with hope. Lucky for us, Sam's aim was pretty good. The Pokeball landed on top of Poliwag's head where it opened and sucked Poliwag straight in with a bright red light.

Yoko ran to Sam's side as the Pokeball landed on the grass. It shook wildly for a few seconds, threatening to burst open. But, after a few seconds, it snapped shut the entire way.

Looking extremely proud of himself, Sam stepped forward and scooped the Pokeball up in his hand. Holding it up in the air, he grinned widely. All he needed was a spotlight, a stage, and a podium and it would look as if he had just won an award of some kind.

I rolled my eyes at him, but despite that I did feel a bit of joy for my best friend's first actual capture. Smiling, I clapped on the back in a friendly way. "Congratulations, Sammy 'ol boy!" I patted Yoko on both of his twin heads before finally saying what I truly felt like voicing. "Anyway, where's Mallory?"

Sam pocketed Poliwag's Pokeball, and finally turned his full attention towards me. He sighed in a pretty loud way, before actually making a few sentences. "She'll be here eventually. Apparently, Mal didn't say goodbye to a bunch of her fitness teachers. You know, like her gymnastics and aerobics class? She should be here by tomorrow."

I let out a sigh that rivaled Sam's. "You have got to be kidding me! I finally have you here, and now we've got her to worry about?" I gazed up at the still clear sky, and I narrowed my eyes. "Seriously? Come on! I want some luck, gosh darn it!"

I continued to cry out some super random words up at the sky until Sam began to drag me by the arm. I felt myself being pushed onto something, and the next thing I knew, we were moving at a fast pace. Snapping out of my daze, I realized that I was on Yoko's back, next to Sam who was hanging onto his Doduo by the necks.

The look on his face was concentrated, and I had a feeling that he had been practicing this for a while. I hung onto Sam's shoulder as Yoko trotted back into Cherrygrove City, right in front of the Pokémon Center.

After jumping off of the Doduo's back, Sam thanked him, and returned him to his Pokeball. He then turned to me, and smiled as if he had just heard a cheesy joke. "So, did you get us a room here, Gwendolyn? Or did you spend most of your time sulking and blaming the sky for your misfortunes?"

**Again, I hope that this was enjoyable. We're finally on the road, so much more interesting things should happen then. I'm very glad for the reviews that I've received, and any suggestions or anything are most appreciated.**

**To be honest, I'm okay if you have some harsh critique to give, so long as you're not flaming **

**So, I'm going to start doing trivia questions at the end of chapters, all relating to Pokémon of course. However, I do have a particular one this time around.**

**Q: The song mentioned, Bohemian Rhapsody, is played by what 1980s band?**

**If you know, go ahead and say so in a review. Anyway, that's all for now, readers.**


	5. Life Can Be Very Irritating

**Chapter 5: Life Can Be Very Irritating**

**Before the fifth chapter begins, I'd really like to say thank you to every reviewer out there. Also, big thanks to Jigglypuff's Pillow, who betaread this very chapter. I'd suggest checking out her stories, since two of them are excellent for anyone writing OC fanfics. **

**Also, congrats to Mosstail21 and VitallInfo for guessing correctly to the last chapter's question. Bohemian Rhapsody is an excellent song by a band known as Queen. Moving on, I'd also love to thank everyone for any suggestions that have been given. All are considered, and I love any suggestions on which Pokemon to feature. Anyway, let's move on to the chapter itself...**

_Saturday, March 26th 3:22 pm_

We spent the rest of the day training our Pokémon around Cherrygrove City. Still, that soon grew dull, and we took to exploring our surroundings. After one hour of wandering around, I discovered just how small the city was, and boredom soon set in again. We ended up just heading back to the Pokémon Center for an early meal, while I griped about dull journeys.

Sam simply responded by telling me to gain some patience.

* * *

_Sunday, March 27th 9:22 am_

Guess who decided to show up at our table as we gorged on hot pancakes? Yep, Mallory had finally arrived, in a pair of impractical white shortalls and a lime green T shirt. She had her dark green hair twisted into one braid, and she smiled at us as if we were long lost buddies. I greeted her sunny smile and cheerful clothes with a light kick to her exposed knee.

"Ow!" she cried, clutching her knee. She sat down in our booth right beside me, glaring. "What's the big idea, midget?"

I stuck my tongue out at her, earning more glares. "What was _your_ big idea, Mallory Weiss? I wanted to be at the first Pokémon gym yesterday, but because of you, we're not going to make it until this evening." I looked her up and down. "And seriously, what's with the clothes?"

"Do you like it?" Mallory jumped up from the table and twirled herself around. "I got it out of the latest Johto Gymnast fashion magazine. A well known trainer named Lyra has a similar outfit, just in different colors." She smiled widely. "What do you think?"

Sam straightened his tan boater hat, which slid off upon Mallory's abrupt arrival. "Well, since it's white, you're going to be filthy before we're even done eating. And, since your knees are showing, you'll have some plain bad luck if it rains." He shrugged and returned to his bacon. "Other than that, not much _to_ say, Mal."

I shook my head as Mallory turned in my direction. "Just go and grab yourself a plate. I don't even know where to begin…" I took a long sip of orange juice to stall my talking. However, my nose was having trouble inhaling with liquid in my mouth, so I ended up setting the partially full glass down as Mallory came back with a steaming plate of food.

She slid in next to me yet again, as if everything was perfectly okay between us. My mouth didn't open to speak as we ate, so I didn't have to worry about insulting one of my best friends in a harsh way. Instead, to occupy myself, I stared at the large flat screen TV that hung from one of the cafeteria's walls.

"Now that we're back from our commercial break, we'll introduce you to the latest gym challenging trainers!" the host of the _Battle 4 Real_ television show, a dark skinned man with a short afro, announced through a thin microphone. "First up, let's go to Beatrice, who right as we speak is interviewing the latest new trainer!"

The scene cut to a blonde woman who was standing beside a redheaded girl who appeared to be eleven or twelve. "Thanks, Dan. Right now I'm here with Hallie Parker in the small town of Dandelion." She turned to the girl, and smiled. "So, Hallie, you recently defeated Whitney the gym leader of Goldenrod just yesterday, correct?"

Hallie smiled, and nodded. "Yes, I did in fact. My starter, a Persian, was able to take down her Clefable, earning us the complete win! I'm very proud of my three badges, and I'm now heading to Ecruteak next."

"Sounds great, Hal. What town do you reign from exactly?"

"Cherrygrove City, where my grandpa, sister, and parents are currently residing." Hallie turned her eyes to look right into the camera. "While I'm here on TV, I'd really like to send a shout out to my sister, Danielle! Hey, sis!" She waved to the camera, and turned her gaze back on Beatrice. "She's thirteen, just taking a break from her Pokémon journey."

"Ah, really? My own sister is two years older than me, though she and I have always been the bickering type."

Hallie was asked several more questions throughout the interview, and her Pokémon team of four were shown on the television. They even showed footage from her Goldenrod gym battle, which I studied as a way to take notes. Soon, Dan was announcing the next trainer up for scrutinizing. It's probably very easy to guess which trainer was up…

"Up next we have Aaron Jenkins, a trainer prepared for his upcoming gym battle in Ecruteak!" Sure enough, my brother's face appeared on the screen, grinning. I nearly choked on my toast when I saw him, but I managed to swallow it down. Beatrice began the interview as he flashed a charming smile to every viewer. "So, Aaron, what is your hometown?"

"New Bark, of course." His hazel eyes remained joking as he continued. "I've got parents, a grandmother, a younger brother, and several Pokémon at home. Right now my sister, Gwen, is traveling through Johto. She started just yesterday, actually."

"Really? I'll bet you're proud of her, right? So, how's Pokémon training been for you?"

"Well, it's been quite splendid for me, Bea. Thank you for asking. By the way, mind if I call you Bea?"

Beatrice blushed ever so slightly. "Well, you already did, so I guess so. Uh, so, what Pokémon do you plan on using for your next gym battle?"

"I caught a Murkrow near Ilex Forest, and he knows some excellent Dark-type moves to match up against Ecruteak Gym's Ghost-types. Other than that, I'll be using my Flaaffy and Magby." Aaron shrugged, but kept grinning. "If I catch another Dark-type on the way, maybe I'll use it."

"Speaking of Pokémon, how has training been?"

"Very good, actually. Though, I had some issues training a Scyther a few days ago. No worries though, since I sent him to my dear sister." He grinned right at the camera, and I swear, it was if he could see me turning red! "Dear Gwendolyn, if you're watching this, just know that I have complete faith in you." He placed his hand on his heart as if to show sincerity, though it was an instant fail.

I could feel both Mallory and Sam looking at me, and I felt like the center of attention. I really wasn't, since most of the other trainers were either digesting their food or watching the TV. Still, I felt myself slide down my chair, half-hiding underneath the table, hoping to block out the sounds of the TV.

After crawling out from underneath my hiding place, I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the cafeteria as Aaron continued answering questions in his charming, social way. It's not so much that I'm jealous of Aaron, but would it be difficult to make a name for myself without being overshadowed by him?

Already, a few gym leaders will remember me as his sister. Maybe not all of them, but Whitney definitely would at least. After all, my brother was pretty hard to forget.

_

* * *

__Sunday, March 27th 10:54 am_

With our third member with us officially, we soon departed from Cherrygrove. Sam kept his green Pokégear out, with his map feature on while Mallory tried to talk to me about my brother.

"Gwen, it's not as if Aaron is the champion of Johto or anything," Mallory said, patting my shoulder. "He's just a super cute, sociable guy with a few gym badges. Nothing to worry about, really."

I raised an eyebrow at her description of Aaron. "Since when have you thought of him as super cute? What, are you into older guys now?"

"Of course not!" Mallory cried, jumping into the air. "I would never even consider it. I remember the time that he dropped a Weedle on my head on April Fools' Day." She shivered, as if she remembered the day well.

"That was three years ago, Mal," I said, patting her shoulder in a way of consolation. "Anyway, I'm fine, really. Let's just hurry up and get to Violet City before it gets too dark."

We continued down Route 30, and according to Sam's Pokégear, we eventually arrived on Route 31. Violet City was very close now, and we would probably arrive there by three o' clock. We walked on, feeling excited for the soon to come gym battle, but I soon grew restless, and it was easy to tell that Sam was too.

"What I really want right now is a battle," Sam declared as we stopped to rest underneath a tall, thick mahogany tree. Its rich brown leaves provided excellent shade as we sat down with thermoses of lemonade. "I don't even care if they're crazy kids, I just want someone to battle."

I gazed at our surroundings, and was surprised to see that there were trainers around, old and young. Over underneath a leafy, green tree two small kids were battling with Rattata and Pidgey with parents watching close by them. Near a formation of white rocks, three kids were searching for Pokémon. And two other kids happened to be heading in our directions, clutching Pokéballs.

They were both boys around our age, and it was easy to tell that they were related. Both of them had short sandy hair, and slim figures. The taller of the two had blue eyes while the other had brown eyes worn with square framed glasses.

"Hi, we overheard you talking, and we're very willing to battle." The taller one grinned at us. "I'm Darren, and he's my cousin, Matt. We're both from Cherrygrove City."

"The two of you are both willing to battle?" Sam closed his thermos shut, and stood up. "Great! I'm Sam, and those two are Mallory and Gwen. How about a double battle?"

Darren shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever floats your boat, shorty."

It was another one of those times where Sam decided to ignore the comments about his height. I was surprised, but maybe he was anxious to battle. Mallory wasn't too excited about it, and she settled herself a little ways away from us to watch.

We settled in a wide field with few trees or huge rocks, which we didn't need to serve as obstacles. Darren and Matt stood at one side, with both Sam and I at the other. We had no referee to speak of, but who really cared?

Darren threw his Pokeball high into the air. "You're the star of this fight, Huey!"

A Hoothoot emerged from the Pokeball, and flittered it's short wings. _"Hoot!" _It hopped up and down on its one visible leg, looking pleased to be out for a battle._ "Hoot!"_

"All right, time to win, Spinner!" Matt surprised Sam and I by letting out a loud cry as he released a Pokémon. It was small and green with six visible legs. Yep, a Spinarak. "Hope you're not scared of Bug Pokémon."

I rolled my eyes. "Only psycho ones." I glanced over at Mallory whose eyes widened with fear at the Spinarak's arrival. I soon returned my eyes to the battle, and thought up a short battle quote as I released Spykes. "Let's crush 'em, Spykes!"

Sam raised a blond eyebrow at me. "Crush them? What the heck?" He shook his head at me with mock disappointment as he pulled a Pokeball from his pocket. "Yoko, let's go!"

His Doduo came out onto the field, where he scratched his feet on the dirt, as if to warm up. _"Do! Doduo!" _He held his two heads proudly on his long necks as the battle soon began.

Matt surprised me again by being the first to call out a command. "Spinner, shoot out String Shot at full speed, now!" He did a crazy jump into the air, as if that was going to speed up the process.

In my mind, I tried to remember what that move did. I recalled hearing it in school once, but I couldn't really remember the move's effects entirely. I glanced at Sam to see if he knew what the move was, and I instantly remembered when I saw the intense look in his eyes.

His Spinarak, Spinner obeyed his trainer's commands before I could say a word. A sticky white shot of silk spurted out of his mouth and shot straight towards Spykes and Yoko. It wrapped around the two of them, pulling them together. Soon, both Pokémon were bound to each other by the sticky thread, crying out in surprise.

"Spykes! You've got to use Ember, now!" I called out in an urgent voice. When he attempted to use the move, nothing came out, but a whiff of smoke. "What was that? Use Ember, not Smokescreen!"

"Smokescreen is way thicker than that, Gwen," Sam stated in a low tone of voice. Speaking louder, he called out to the Pokémon, "Doduo! Scare Spykes, and hurry!"

"What?" I cried staring at him. "What is that going to do?"

A lot, apparently. All four of Yoko's eyes stared into Spykes', as if to intimidate him. Only their heads were able to move, but that was enough. Without warning, Yoko shot one of his two heads straight into Spykes' face, which both surprised and frightened him.

_"Quil! Quil!"_ Spykes began squirming and struggling against the sticky binds, and flames erupted from his back out of nowhere. Lucky for Yoko that Spykes back was turned away from him, because those flames looked hot enough to cook anyone nearby. _"Quil!"_

The flames instantly burned their binds to charred bits, and the fire flew at the charging Hoothoot. The Flying-type was knocked backwards from the fire, stopping his Tackle move. He nearly crashed into Spinner, but the Spinarak dodged by spinning out of the way with a long rope of his thread.

_"Spin!"_ Spinner cried, shooting another String Shot in Yoko's direction.

Recovering from shock, Spykes jumped in front of Yoko and shot an Ember attack out in a sort of counter. _"Cynda, cyn!" _As Spinner was blown back by the fireball, Spykes glanced at me, looking for praise.

I smiled at him, and nodded. "You're doing excellent, Spykes. Really!"

Across the field, Darren grinned as if he planned on proving me wrong. "Use Peck on the Cyndaquil, Huey!"

His Hoothoot did a little salute with a wing, which really widened my eyes, and charged at Spykes with his beak pointed forwards. _"Hoot!"_

"Spykes, dodge!" I called, flapping my arms in the air out of excitement. I could feel my heart beating quickly as my Cyndaquil managed to jump out of the way. However, Huey the Hoothoot continued to chase him around the battle field, with his beak still looking pointy. "Keep dodging, Spykes! Now, go ahead, and use Smoke Screen now!"

Spykes scurried around the field one last time before turning and shooting a ball of smoke right into Huey's face. Smoke appeared all over the Flying-type, and I was praying that his vision was obscured. Spykes then fired a couple of Embers, and soon the smoke cleared away, revealing a fainted Huey.

"Huey, return." Darren pointed his Pokeball at his fallen Hoothoot. The familiar red light shot out of the sphere and pulled the fainted Pokémon into it. "Good job, you did great." He turned to look at Matt who was still battling hard. "Go, Matthew!"

Matt grinned, and called out to his quick Spinarak, "Spinner, use Poison Sting, now!"

Spinarak's green lump of a head did something close to a nod. Then he lowered his head towards Yoko, and an odd thin missile shot out of its head. Yoko quickly dodged, but the Poison Sting grazed his back, injuring him.

_"Doduo!" _Yoko scurried around in a slow way.

Sam bit his lip, but he remained calm, unlike me. I was worrying about this Spinarak, who was pretty quick for something so close to the ground. Sam called out, "Use Fury Attack one last time, Yoko!"

One of Yoko's heads nodded slowly before charging right at Spinner. Both of Yoko's beaks began to look sharper as they rammed into Spinarak, sending the Bug-type flying through the air, back to his trainer. Spinarak landed on the ground in front of Matt, unconscious.

I let out a sigh of relief before scooping Spykes up in my arms. "Woo hoo! We won, Spykes! Great job with the Fire moves, really." I stroked him on the head, conscious of the back that could spontaneously combust. I hurried over to shake hands with both Matt and Darren, since it really had been a good first battle.

"Well, thanks for the battle," Darren said, shaking my hand. He turned on his heels and began walking in Violet City's direction. "Come on, Matt! We have to hurry up if we want to get through Dark Cave before nightfall."

After treating the wounds of our Pokémon, we were also soon back on the road. Both Sam and I were exhausted from all of the crying out and excitement of the battle, so we remained silent as Mallory rambled on to us about random subjects.

Overall, I smiled as Violet City came into view an hour later. Maybe my Pokémon journey _would _be okay.

**So, we have a battle, Mallory has finally arrived, and now it seems as if the action should kick right in. For this update's trivia question, contestants might need Bulbapedia by their side.**

**Q: Which legendary Pokemon has a man known as Eusine set on capturing it in the anime series, game series, and manga series?**

**Until next time :)**


	6. A Win Win Situation

**Chapter 6: A Win Win Situation!**

**This story is really moving along, thanks to all reviewers and readers! Congrats to Alphinia, VitalInfo, and Xylobe for giving the correct answer. Yes, Suicune is always pursued by Eusine, which to be honest is kind of creepy. I mean, seriously? What is with that guy? Oh well, he'll be appearing in this anyway, since Johto isn't Johto without the crazy pursuing guy.**

**Oh, and also, VitalInfo, thanks for the advice for Gwen's third Pokemon. I really took it into consideration :)**

_Sunday, March 27__th__ 5:46 pm_

Violet City struck me as being old. Yep, that's right; Violet City was small, old looking city. It was about more than twice the size of Cherrygrove City, but the houses looked like old timers. The usual Pokémon Center was larger than Cherrygrove's, while the Pokémart was super small. Other than that, there appeared to be several other attractions in the town as well, though we headed to the Pokémon Center quickly to avoid wandering around in the dark.

It wasn't that we were afraid of the dark, but Sam kind of was. He developed that fear back when we were seven, at a pajama party at school. Some of the older kids played this huge prank involving lights being turned off and Ghastly chasing people around. Well, Sam screamed his head off at that occasion, and hates it when we bring it up.

Inside the Pokémon Center, we took another room with two bunk beds. After eating a small dinner in the center's cafeteria, we all soon retired to bed, anxious to explore the new city.

_

* * *

__Monday, March 28__th__ 9:32 am_

I was the first one up the next morning, and I was quick to dress and be ready for the day. After sliding my Alice band onto my golden-brown hair, I grabbed my bag and headed down to the cafeteria. I quickly piled my plate with waffles and a cheesy omelet before seating myself at a red cushioned booth.

Today, the "Battle 4 Real" television show wasn't on. Instead, "Wonderful Pokémon and Where to find Them" was on. It was one of those news shows that mainly just let trainers know which Pokémon could be found in Johto. Today they were discussing recent Electric-types and Fire-types.

"Though this is basic news, Violet City gym challengers should pay close attention to this message," The anchorman, Richard Stein stated. "Mareep are becoming very common on Route 30 at the moment. So, if you're in desperate need of a good, basic Electric-type, I suggest heading out there." He cleared his throat and said a few other things as well. "Meanwhile, there are plenty of Houndour to be found close to Azalea Town. That's an issue since they've been bothering the Slowpoke lately."

I didn't pay too much attention to the rest since I was trying to wolf down my food as quickly as possible. Aaron told me about the 3-Pokémon rule that most of the Johto gyms had, so I would seriously need to catch a Mareep eventually.

As I was taking the last few gulps of juice, Sam joined me with his own plate overflowing with bacon and toast. He regarded my hasty eating with a shake of his head, but he didn't say anything until I stood up to leave.

"Wait a second, Gwen." He said, grabbing me by the sleeve. "I thought we were going to check out the gym. There are going to be tons of trainers taking the challenge today, I expect. So, we should definitely book our battles before then."

I sighed heavily, and nodded. "Fine, but I need to go catch a Mareep. There's a bunch of them back on Route 30, and I'm in desperate need of an Electric-type."

"You do know how common Mareep are, right? They're not going to disappear like Houdini if you're not quick, Gwen. We should definitely go to the gym _first."_

Sam is as stubborn as I am, and even more headstrong. Growing up with four older siblings can do that to you, so we ended up heading straight for the gym after we were through eating. The Violet City gym was a five story tall circular building painted a deep shade of orange. As much as I hate to admit it, Sam was right. There were at least fifteen other trainers crowded around in the small front room of the gym. There didn't appear to be anyone in this room, but trainers.

Most of them were talking in loud voices and checking each other's Pokémon out. You could tell that a good deal of them were newbies too, like me. However, there were at least three kids who had a few badges, and one kid even said something about being from another region.

Loud discussions continued until a man stepped into the room from a long hallway. He looked pretty old, like maybe his early thirties, and he had a short black buzz cut. He wore a black and white striped shirt, so I figured that he was the referee.

When he cleared his throat, hardly anyone took notice of him. But once he actually started talking in a booming voice, everyone was quick to shut up. "All right, you cupcakes! Settle down!" It became so quiet in the room, a pin could drop and sound like a rock fall. "The name's Mitchell, the referee of this here gym. Now, Falkner ain't taking no challenges today, ya hear?" He didn't wait for a response, but simply continued. "Anyway, you should all spend the day training as hard as you can."

"What?" One kid wearing a baseball cap cried, stomping his foot. "I've been training all week, man! Now, I'm gonna waste a whole day of traveling? What's da big idea?"

Mitchell looked pretty steamed by the boy's outburst, and he even walked over to the boy with hard stomps. I sure didn't want to be in his shoes. "Well, sonnie, you can go ahead and travel if ya want, but if you want to gain some respect and win a badge, how about shutting up?" He easily towered over the kid.

Baseball cap kid bit his lip, and stepped back, as if to hide himself in the crowd. "Never mind…"

"As I was saying," Mitchell continued in his loud voice. "Some of you should really consider doing some Pokémon catching. I received word from a news show that there are a few flocks of Mareep on Route 30, along with several Geodude." A few kids groaned at the suggestion, including myself. This earned us each a glare from the referee. " For those of you, knuckleheads, who think you're too good for one of those decent Pokémon, there also happen to be about seven Elekid near the Route. No one has caught one yet, but I'm pretty sure that_!"

No one waited for the Mitchell to finish his sentence, since practically everyone barreled out of the gym as fast as possible, especially us. Well, actually, I was the one running, but I dragged Sam along with me to avoid getting kicked. We ran in the crowd, trying to outrun most of the kids, but we all soon tripped over our own feet.

"This is ridiculous!" Sam cried, standing up. I watched as he released Yoko from his Pokeball, and climbed onto the Flying-type's back. "Gwen, hurry up and get on!"

I grinned, and hopped onto the Doduo's back behind him. "Sweet idea!"

We were able to easily run ahead of the other kids, and I felt extremely confident. After all, Elekid didn't pop up just anywhere, and they were pretty awesome Electric-types. I'd always liked them ever since I started watching the Elecktabuzz baseball team sports games on TV with Colin and Aaron.

We zipped past the Pokémon Center and a shocked looking Mallory, and we were nearing Route 30 when another kid zoomed past us, riding a quick Stantler. Looking back, I saw that another kid(who was flying in the air by clutching to the foot of her Pidgeotto) was gaining on us. I could feel my confidence be replaced by determination, as quick as that.

"Sam! Make Yoko go faster!" I cried in an extremely loud voice. I already knew that my throat would be sore before this was over, but even so, Yoko galloped as fast as he could, and we were soon on the route itself. "Oh my gosh! Look at all of the Pokémon, Sam. Look!" I began to vigorously shake his shoulder, as if trying to gain his attention.

Sam turned around to give me an irritated look. "I'm not blind, you know! If you're that cfrazy hurry up and catch something already!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." I said, sliding off of Yoko's back.

Route 30 was full of Pokémon right now. Yes, there were several ordinary Sentret and Pidgey, but there were more than enough Mareep. There also appeared to be several Geodude disguised as rocks, and the best thing of all; the promised seven Elekid! Seeing them made my heart beat faster, and before I knew it, I dashed to the nearest one.

I passed the Stantler boy from earlier who was already battling an Elekid, while the baseball hat kid was battling a Mareep with his Furret. That made me a little relieved, to know that not everyone was after Elekid. Still, there were a heck of a lot of trainers stampeding into the area to attempt at catching one.

I pulled both my Pokédex and a Pokéball from my pocket. I scanned the Elekid that I faced with the Pokédex, which told me that it was female, and I finally released Spykes from his Pokeball. The female Elekid balled her yellow fists and gave me a look of confidence and spunk. She obviously assumed that I was going to back down from battling her or something.

"Alright, Spykes, use Ember!" I called, gripping the empty Pokeball tightly in my hand. "And don't let that Elekid out of your sight! Okay?"

Spykes gave me a dazed look, as if he were trying to process what I had just said. "Quil?" He gave his small head a shake, before nodding to me to confirm that he understood. He turned to the opponent, and finally shot out a double fireball combo. "Cyndaquil! Quil!"

Lucky for the two of us, the Elekid was too busy giving us looks, which resulted in her being hit by Ember. She fell right onto her back, but was quick to hop to her feet. She narrowed her dark eyes at us. "Elekid, kid!" Her arms began to rotate in an odd spinning motion, and they appeared to be charging with electricity. Without warning, she ran right at Spykes with her arms still spinning.

"Spykes, hurry up and get out of the way!" I called, stomping my feet out of habit. My little Cyndaquil nodded, and did a fantastic leap over the charging Elekid. He landed on his tiny feet behind Elekid's back. I felt confidence surge through me until the unexpected happened.

"Ele!" Elekid, her back still turned away from Spykes, stopped spinning her arms. And, out of nowhere, a huge shock of electricity surged out of Elekid's shoulders, and straight at Spykes. My little Cyndaquil yelped out of surprise, and once the electricity left him, he looked at me for guidance.

I quickly pointed my Pokédex at Elekid again, but with a trembling hand this time. Reading the move list of this particular Electric-type, I found that she knew moves such as Thundershock, Low Kick, Quick Attack, and much to my dismay, Swift. I gasped loudly at that very word, since I had a pretty bad experience with that move a couple of months earlier.

Aaron had been practicing with his newly caught Sentret, a few days before he had planned on leaving for his journey. His Sentret learned Swift early on, but had a difficult time controlling it, resulting in Aaron and I ducking for our lives. Lucky for us that Chase, Dad's Swellow, managed to stop before a whole lot of damage was done, but still…

Almost as if she were reading my thoughts, Elekid immediately let out a shower of Swift on Cyndaquil. I nearly dropped my Pokédex in shock as the star shaped rays approached my Cyndaquil. I hastily dug Spykes' Pokeball from my pocket and pointed it at him. Right before the Swift attack struck the ground, Spykes was returned to his Pokeball, safe.

Swift was a move that never missed, and really, Spykes wasn't the quickest Fire-type. I _did _have another Pokémon, one who was fast, but was it really worth a shot? With Elekid fist pumping confidently a few feet away from me, I glanced at Sam for his help.

To my surprise, he was nowhere to be seen. Yes, the route was still crowded with Pokémon catching trainers, but my best friend wasn't in sight. Right at the moment that I truly needed him, he had decided to go off and disappear. So, I now had no one but good old Johto Psycho for company and support. Just great!

After letting out a long, disturbed groan, I fished my Scyther's Pokeball out, and released him from the sphere. After gazing at his surroundings, Zorro immediately gave me a look of both surprise and loathing. I returned it with a look of mock pity. Even so, it wasn't the time to play the silent treatment, as we did before. Now, I needed his help, and the only way to get it would be by being nice…hopefully.

"Zorro," I began to say in as kind a voice as I could muster. "I need to catch this Elekid, for both my Gym battle and for my journey in general. You can help me, and you can prove yourself as a Pokémon." I knew as soon as I was done saying that sentence, that those were the wrong words to utter.

Zorro glared at me with disgust. "Scyther!" He was the most prideful Pokémon that I knew, which was already being a downfall for me. However, thinking about pride and humility gave me an idea, one that I desperately hoped would work. Especially since, if I didn't catch Elekid, someone else sure would!

Putting on my best easygoing smile, I walked right up to Zorro and placed my hand on his sharp shoulder. "You know, I get it that you're not much of an empathetic Pokémon. Plus, you don't really care what people think of you." With the Scyther glaring daggers at me, I realized just how close to my height that he was. After taking a deep breath, I went on. "So, really, it's okay for me to say that you just aren't the fastest Pokémon that there is. At least, not for Bug-types…"

Jumping away from my reach, Zorro let out a cry of outrage. "Scyther!" He crossed his scythes, and kept his eyes right on me.

I quickly glanced over at the Elekid to make sure that she hadn't run off. She was actually watching us talk with amusement etched on her face. Ignoring my still trembling hand, I went on talking. "It's obvious really. I've seen Pinsir and Heracross who are really great at fighting back fast moves, such as Swift. In fact, they're very speedy, despite their heavy bodies." I turned up my nose at Zorro, attempting to look like a snob or something. "Unfortunately, dearie, you just don't cut it." Calling him dearie was a bit much, but it seemed to be working, since Zorro was fuming. I shrugged indifferently. "Maybe you're shy, too or something. Like, maybe_."

I wasn't really looking at Zorro after I turned up my nose, which proved to be a bad thing. I had to stop talking midsentence when I suddenly heard muffled sounds. Opening my eyes, I now saw that Zorro was actually holding the Elekid in his arms, careful not to cut her with his scythes. Elekid was struggling against Zorro's hold, to no avail.

"Scyther!" Zorro, still holding Elekid carefully, held her out in my direction. "Scy!" He motioned towards the Pokeball in my hand with his foot, but it took me a few seconds to fully understand what he was trying to say.

I nodded my head as I fit the pieces together, and I finally grinned in realization. Doing my best to perfect my aim, I finally tossed the Pokeball lightly at Elekid. The red and white sphere bopped her in-between the ears, and the Electric Pokémon disappeared into it with a flash of red light.

Zorro stepped away from the wiggling Pokeball, and crossed his scythes before giving me a look, this one proving just how prideful and cocky my starter was. "Scyther!"

I watched with anticipation as the Pokeball wiggled, back and forth. Finally, with a loud pop, it closed shut the entire way. I scooped the full Pokeball up in my hand and shot it right in to the air, feeling triumphant. "Yes! Woo hoo, yes! I did it! I caught a Pokémon, I did. I really did!" I swear, I could feel Zorro glaring at me. Flashing him a sheepish smile, I added, "With loads of help from my excellent Scyther."

All around the route, there were only three remaining Elekid, all of whom were avoiding any contact with trainers. Most of the trainers had now left, a good deal of them clutching new Pokémon in Pokéballs. About five trainers were still chasing the Elekid around, and yes there were even a few losers leaving, who didn't catch anything at all.

But, because I happen to be the owner of a Pokémon nicknamed Johto Psycho, I wasn't one of them!

_

* * *

__Monday, March 28__th__ 2:27 pm_

As I entered the Pokémon Center, I met up with a satisfied looking Sam. He eyed the Pokeball in my hand, and Zorro, who was walking beside me in a civil manner. Finally he spoke. "So, you caught an Elekid? Or did you have to settle for Mareep?"

"Actually, I did catch Elekid, with the unexpected help of JP." I gestured to Zorro as we headed into the cafeteria for lunch. "How about you? Where did you go off to during my splendid catch?"

"You be pleased to know, Gwendolyn, that I booked our Gym battles. They'll both be happening tomorrow afternoon. I'll be first before lunchtime, and you'll be right after the mid meal of the day." He looked pretty proud of himself for taking care of that, so I gave him a friendly slap on the back.

"Way to go, Samuel. Way to go." I hurried to the buffet line, closely followed by Zorro. After releasing both Spykes and the newly caught Elekid from their Pokéballs, I grabbed a plate and began to serve myself. "Let's eat, team!"

**As always, leave a review when you have the time. And, since the trivia questions are a little too easy, I'll leave a rather hard one.**

**Q: In the Pokemon Adventures manga, what name did Yellow call herself during the first few Yellow chapters? Hint: The name translates into Yellow of Viridian Forest.**


	7. Always Make Good First Impressions

**Chapter 7: Always Make a Good First Impression**

**Well, here's chapter 7! Congrats to Xylobe and VitalInfo for the correct answer to the latest trivia question! Give them praise and acknowledgement, readers, for they answered thy question...moving on, enjoy the chapter!**

_Tuesday, March 29__th__ 11:27 am_

"So, are you completely ready for your gym battle, Sam?" I asked as we pushed through the glass double doors of the gym. We were met with a nice rush of air conditioning, which made me exhale in relief. How horrible would it be to battle I humidity?

Sam half smiled as he pulled all three of his Pokéballs out of the pockets of his khaki pants. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He had a pretty calm expression in his gray eyes, so I definitely wasn't about to argue with him.

Mallory clapped her hands together out of excitement. "Just think! This'll be the first gym battle, which will be closely followed by several. How great is that?"

The three of us sat on armchairs in the front room of the gym until the blonde receptionist permitted us to head on in. We entered a single white door, which opened into a long hallway lined with a few other doorways. We kept walking, allowing her eyes glimpses of what awaited beyond the other doorways.

There didn't appear to be much in these other rooms. Two were just bathrooms while others contained flights of stairs or stored wooden crates. Eventually, we found one door marked, "Gym Battleground". With my stomach feeling a tidbit nervous, I watched as Sam's small hand reached out and turned the brass doorknob open.

We stepped inside the room, not knowing what to expect. The quality and quantity of the room itself earned a few wide eyed looks from the three of us. The room itself was painted a pale tan color, and its ceiling was extremely high, plus it was made completely of glass. I was able to see the entire cloud filled sky, but I eventually stopped once my neck grew stiff.

White lines in the middle of the café-brown floor formed a battleground, and several bleachers lined the circular walls. Even with these in the room, the space was wide, and it looked even wider since there were only four other people inside. Three of them I recognized as Mitchell, and two trainers from yesterday. However, the fourth person was unrecognizable.

At the sound of our arrival, Mitchell, the two trainers, and John Doe turned to look in our direction. Mitchell hurried over while John Doe continue talking to the kids. He looked each of us up and down with suspicious eyes.

"You the kids scheduled for the next couple of hours?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. When we nodded, he grinned, slightly. "All right, great. As soon as Falkner's through speaking, go ahead and inform them. You guys we'll have a few minutes to prepare, and then your battles will begin." He glanced over his shoulder as the two trainers passed us on their way out the door. "Alright, go ahead, kids!"

A little hesitant, Sam and I approached the mystery guy while Mallory rushed over to sit in the bleachers. As we got closer, I was able to see the appearance of the first gym leader, Falkner. He as young looking, maybe around nineteen or twenty. He had neck length shaggy hair the color of greenish-blue and eyes dark and narrowed, like a Fearow. As I finished my scrutinizing, Falkner's eyes started his own.

Once he was done, he looked both of us in the face and spoke. "So, as both of you probably know, I'm Falkner, the flying type gym leader of Violet City, Johto." He raised an eyebrow. "And the two of you might be?"

Sam stepped forward before I did, but words quickly spilled out of my mouth. "I'm Gwen Jenkins, from New Bark Town, and I'm going after him." I patted Sam's shoulder. "He's Sam Wilson, also from New Bark." Sam gave me a look after I introduced him.

Falkner's eyes narrowed as if he were thinking deeply about something. "Both of you look really familiar, and your surnames sound really familiar, too." He looked both of us in the eyes, and lit up. "Ah, the two of you have older brothers, right?"

Sam was able to reply for the both of us this time. "Yeah! I have three brothers, but you probably remember Keenan. He looks like me, just taller and with brown eyes. He challenged the gym a couple of years back." He pointed at me. "And Gwen's brother, Aaron was here about a month ago. He's another tall fellow, with a Magby?"

Falkner nodded. "Now I remember. Yes, you're Aaron's little sister." He pointed at me, grinning. "Yeah, your brother mentioned you a few times during our battle. He was a pretty tough one, especially with that Flaaffy of his." He turned his gazed on Sam. "I vaguely remember Keenan, but I do recall that he had a rather tough Croconaw. Still, he wasn't the kind of guy that you easily forget." Falkner shrugged his thin shoulders. "Anyway, I'm curious to see if either of you are as tough as them. So, which one of you is first?"

…

_Tuesday, March 29__th__ 11:47_

From the bleachers, Mallory and I watched as both Falkner and Sam prepared for their gym battle. Mallory held Tsu tightly in her lap, though it seemed like a tough job since he kept on fidgeting, while I kept Spykes out of his Pokeball. I wanted him to witness the battle, and to pick up some pointers, if possible.

I considered letting Zorro and my new Elekid, Levina out of their Pokéballs, but I quickly decided against it. Zorro was bound to begin glaring at me, and I didn't really want Falkner to know what other Pokémon I had, at least, not before my own battle.

As both Falkner and Sam took their places on the battlefield, I turned my full attention onto them. Mitchell was explaining the gym rules to them, which were pretty drawling. Really, it was just about using three Pokémon and how the referee is always right. I doubted that last one.

Even so, as Pokémon were released from their Pokéballs, Tsu quit squirming. Falkner released a Hoothoot for the first round, while Sam released his Poliwag, Fisher. I already knew that this battle would be easy, since Sam already knew how to deal with Hoothoot.

Falkner smiled slightly at Sam. "As the challenger, you may have the first command."

Sam nodded, with one hand clenched into a small fist. He held his fist at his sides, and took a few noticeable deep breaths. Finally, Sam was through with his emotional preperations. He must've been feeling really confident, since he immediately shouted out to Fisher in a loud, commanding voice, "All right, jump into the air, Fisher!"

With my eyes narrowed in confusion, I watched as Fisher jumped into the air a couple of times. He didn't hop too high, and it didn't appear to be an attack of any sort. Still, both Falkner and Hoothoot were staring at Fisher with studying glances.

"Keep up the jumping." Sam said, grinning at the confused looks. "And…use Water Gun at full force!"

Fisher's tiny pink lips widened into a smile as he nodded his small head to his trainer. "Poli…" Then, the smile quickly faded, and Fisher hopped into the air, using his semi-transparent tail for buoyancy. Several spurts of water shot out of the small Water-type's mouth, directed all the way at Hoothoot.

Caught off guard, Hoothoot received the attacks' power, and fell to the ground. As he recovered from his slightly dazed state, Fisher ran at him for what looked like a Double Slap attack. However, Hoothoot managed to leap up and obey Falkner's command to use Peck.

"Hoothoot!" The Flying-type pressed on as both moves collided. It appeared to be a match between Hoothoot's beak, and Fisher's wide tail. Digging my fingers into the loose fabric of my pants, I stared at the ongoing battle with a non blinking gaze.

After several seconds of anticipation, Fisher's tail managed to break through the Peck counter, which threw Hoothoot to the floor once more. However, this time, he was knocked out for good.

Mitchell was quick to announce the current results. "Hoothoot is unable to battle. Therefore, the winner of this round is Samuel!"

Mallory and I both clapped at that thought.

With a sheepish smile on his youthful face, Falkner returned Hoothoot to its Pokeball, and dug a new one form his pocket. "Well, you're not bad for a beginner, Sam. Still, we've got two round left." He hurled the Pokeball onto the field. "Now, let's see how you deal with Pidgeotto!"

Pidgeotto was a rather large bird Pokémon with light brown coloring and a reddish head crest. Its wingspan seemed to be wide as it swooped down upon Fisher. Before Fisher was hit with a Wing Attack, Sam quickly returned the Poliwag to his Pokeball.

Falkner was slightly surprised by the sudden move, but his expression remained calm. I was trying to figure out which Pokémon Sam planned on using next. Yoko was his toughest, but Sam was the type to use the best for last. So, that only left a Pokémon that was extremely weak against Flying types. I dismissed that thought, since I knew Sam would never do something like that.

Well, I must not know Sam too well, since he did release Blossom from her Pokeball. Despite the fact that this round would be difficult for him, he smiled with confidence. "Let's start off the battle with a good old Razor Leaf, Blossom!"

His Chikorita turned and nodded to him in a loyal way. Still smiling, Blossom twirled the leaf on her head, which caused sharp hand-sized leaves to fly out towards Pidgeotto. "Chikor, chi!"

Falkner also smiled confidently, and called out, "Pidgeotto, fly forward and use Wing Attack, now!"

Pidgeotto flapped his wings hard as he zoomed towards Blossom. A good deal of the leaves were shredded by his firm wings, but a few managed to knock into his head and waist. Still, we might as well fight a Pokémon with the ability Flash Fire with a Fire-type move with all of the progress grass type moves were making.

Imagine my surprise when Sam's grin grew wider as Pidgeotto neared Blossom. Right before Pidgeotto's sharpened wings clashed against her; Blossom's big leaf spun and whipped itself around Pidgeotto with a long vine. The Flying-type managed to land on his feet once he hit the ground, but his wings remained bound to his body. Blossom had a pretty firm grip on him.

"Now, use Poison Powder, and quick!" Sam called, still grinning.

"Chikor! Chikorita!" Blossom, with her leaf still tied around Pidgeotto, shook herself, which caused sprinkles of violent purple dust to be formed. The dust traveled its way up the vine, and dashed itself all over the struggling Pidgeotto. As the dust settled on Pidgeotto's feathers, the Flying-type's movements became slower than usual. "Chikor!"

Even though Pidgeotto was pretty weakened, Falkner didn't look close to backing down. "Pidgeotto, hang in there! Your wings might be stuck, but your beak isn't. Latch onto the binds with Peck!"

Pidgeotto did so, and held Chikorita's vine tightly in his beak. Blossom was caught by surprise, which allowed Pidgeotto a chance to slip through his tied up state. Pidgeotto shot into the air, with Blossom dangling in the air by her leaf. The Flying-type flew around in slow circles, dizzying Blossom for sure.

Finally, Pidgeotto released Blossom's leaf, and the Grass-type fell to the battlefield ground. She landed on all four of her stubby legs, and tottered for a moment in an unbalanced way. Blossom finally fell onto her side, knocked out by the dizziness.

"Chikorita is unable to battle, so the winner for now is Pidgeotto!" I had no idea why Mitchell was being so darn loud, since Mallory and I were the only real audience.

I kept my eyes on the battle as Sam returned the fainted Blossom to her Pokeball. "You were really great, Bloss." Sam said, dropping the Pokeball into his jean pocket with care. He pulled another Pokeball from his other pocket, and pushed the button of it. "Fisher, finish this round!"

His Poliwag made his return to the battle, looking pleased. "Poli!"

I had a feeling that defeating Pidgeotto would be a simple task, since the Pokémon was poisoned pretty badly. He was much slower, and flying extremely low the ground. Fisher was able to land a Water Gun on the Flying type's back without retaliation.

Fisher delivered a Double Slap onto Pidgeotto's wing and chest, before any attack could be landed. Pidgeotto, overcome by the poison, crashed to the ground, knocked out.

"Pidgeotto was unable to battle, so the win goes to the Poliwag, yet again!" Mitchell announced in his big, booming voice.

Falkner bit down hard on his bottom lip as he returned the fallen bird to its Pokeball. "I still have one Pokémon left for you to defeat, kid." He smiled, and threw the next Pokeball on the field. "Noctowl should be difficult enough."

"Noctowl!" This Flying-type was tall and mainly brown and cream colored. It had long, pointing talons that were light pink and the irises of its eyes were bright red. That was a little eerie, but I dismissed the ominous thought, since I would probably be facing it in battle, soon enough. "Noctowl!"

Fisher shot out yet another Water Gun move, which hit Noctowl slightly. However, the majority of the move missed as Noctowl charged into Fisher with a Wing Attack move. Noctowl's outstretched wing rammed into the Poliwag, knocking him across the floor.

"Poli!" Fisher recovered from the fall, though he was evidently weakened from it. "Poliwag!" Another Water Gun shot through his small lips, but this one was dodged and met with yet another Wing Attack. Fisher was knocked to the floor once again, but not before slapping Noctowl across the face with Double slap.

I jumped up from my seat when he threw that moved, and jumped into the air with joy. "Yeah! Go down with a good fight, Fisher! Woo hoo!" I probably would've kept going if Mallory hadn't pulled me back into the bleachers.

Sam flashed me an appreciative grin, which I returned. Maybe my cry had encouraged Fisher to stay conscious. Who knows? All I know is that Fisher was back on his wobbly feet, spurting Water Gun after Water Gun. As Noctowl charged with yet another Wing Attack, Fisher hopped right into the air, and landed on the Flying-type's back.

This caught Noctowl and Falkner both off guard, which allowed Fisher the time to deliver a final attack of Double Slap. His tail rammed Noctowl on the wing, and it slapped against the Flying-type's side. Both Pokémon crash landed to the floor, giving the ground a loud thump.

Mallory and I jumped from our seats to get a closer look, holding Tsu and Spykes in our arms. Sam and Falkner were both giving their respective Pokémon concerned looks, while Mitchell was clearing his throat to reveal the results.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle." Mitchell shouted in a clear voice. "Usually, that would result in a tie, but since the challenger, Samuel Wilson, has a third Pokémon still standing, the victory goes to him." He nodded to Falkner and smiled. "Well, looks like the kid's earned himself the Zephyr badge, Falkner."

"I know." Falkner returned Pidgeotto to his Pokeball, and nodded to Sam. "Good work." He finally cracked a grin as he walked over o stand in front of Sam. He pulled something small and shiny from the pocket of his dark jacket, and held it out to Sam. "This is the Zephyr Badge, which is a way of recognizing a trainer who has defeated the Violet City Gym." He placed it in Sam's hand as Mallory and I hurried over to our friend's side.

Sam, balancing a tired Poliwag in one arm, looked down at the Zephyr badge in his hand, which resembled the wings of a bird Pokémon. He met Falkner's eyes, and smiled. "Thanks for the battle, and I hope that I was as memorable as Keenan."

"Of course, you're one heck of a battler yourself."

…

_Tuesday, March 29__th__1:04 pm_

The three of us were quick to eat lunch, though I had a pretty difficult time digesting. After all, I would be facing off against Falkner in my first gym battle. The thought made me feel even more nervous, which caused more feelings of anxiety.

As we headed back to the gym, I tapped at the three Pokéballs that hung from my belt. I bit my lip, and tried thinking of calm thoughts revolving around the future plans. One thought that calmed me a bit had to do with me telling myself calming things. Such as, in exactly one hour, this will all be over, and you'll have your very first gym badge.

This kept me soothed as we returned to the battling room of the gym. However, anxiety settled in once more when I saw just how many other trainers were seated on the bleachers, awaiting their own battles. There had to be at least a dozen!

Mallory's blue eyes widened at the sight. "Gosh! I feel pretty bad for Falkner. Imagine having to battle a bunch of kids in one day."

"How about feeling bad for me?" I asked in a voice that sounded like a squeaky Rattata. "Huh?"

Sam patted me on the arm, and gave me an _oh well _smile. "Don't worry, Gwen. We'll cheer for you when you look like you're about to pass out." With those lovely encouraging words said, both of them skipped off to the bleachers, where they seated themselves in the first row.

I was left by the door, trying to convince myself that running away was my best option. A good deal of the trainers had their eyes on me, almost as if they expected me to juggle or something. Plus, Falkner was walking in my direction, which only increased my worries.

I'm not a shy person, but who enjoys having everyone stare at you, almost as if they expect you to mess up? I sure didn't, and as Falkner neared, I knew that it was too late to run away. I would just have to suck it up, and battle my way through this.

Besides, I also had to make a name for myself. Granny always told me that decent first impressions always led to good things. And if I come across as being a nervous git, how would anyone take me seriously? How many times would people rub it in that Aaron is way more self confident?

Falkner was way taller than me, something that I noted in my nervous state. "So, Gwen, ready to make your brother look like an amateur?" I barely managed a nod, which he noticed. Bending down to my level, he gave me a smile. "Listen, Gwen, I get it. You're nervous, and really, in your state, you kind of can't afford to. You've got a status to create for the world, right?"

I was able to nod fully this time. "I know, but what if I lose? I'll look like a complete idiot or something."

"Kid, you're going to look like an idiot if you stand around calling out attacks nervously. Really, all trainers lose at some point. It's what makes us stronger, and we learn from our mistakes that way." He stood back to his full height and turned to take his place on the battlefield. "Anyway, it's your call. Battle or not, you're going to have to do something."

He was right, and I soon found myself walking to take my own stand, in the challenger's side of the battlefield. Mitchell looked prepared to begin yelling out stuff, while the kids sitting in the bleachers were all getting quiet. I ignored the ever growing nervousness, and fished a Pokeball out of my pocket.

"All right, all of ya'll powderheads oughta know the rules by now." Mitchell said in his growling voice, which boomed across the entire room. "I'll give everyone a brief def. Only three Pokémon may be used, and only the challenger may call Pokémon in or out. Understood?" No one replied, but he looked satisfied. "Begin!"

Falkner nodded to me right before hurling a Pokeball onto the field. "Hoothoot, let's go!"

I felt pretty confident, since Sam had close to no issues with the small Flying-type. I knew already that Levina would do well, especially with the disadvantage. I pushed the smooth button of the Pokeball, and watched as the familiar red beam hovered onto the field. "Levina, let's crush e_!" I stopped midsentence when I saw the Pokémon that emerged.

"Scyther!" Zorro glared at me from his place on the field, his scythes raised in a threatening manner. "Scyther!" He looked pretty ticked off that I had even considered using him in my gym battle, which I truly didn't. He continued glaring.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I cried, ignoring the laughs that were coming from the audience. I pointed Zorro's Pokeball at him, and released the red grabbing beam. "Back in your Pokeball, bug!" As I kind of figured, he jumped out of the beam's reach, closer to the confused looking Falkner and Hoothoot. I held back a groan, and finally just decided to deal with him.

After all, it wasn't like he'd make it past Hoothoot without fainting, right? There was a disadvantage to think about, and the sooner Zorro was knocked out, the better.

"Fine, Zorro," I said in a clear voice as the laughing died down. He glanced at me with a look of disgust. "Just listen to my words, okay?" He didn't nod, but at least he was paying attention. I looked over at Falkner's Hoothoot, who was charging at us with Peck. "Zorro, dodge it!"

I have no idea why I was surprised, but the stupid bug did exactly the opposite of what I said. He charged right at Hoothoot with his scythes raised. As he ran, his scythes began to turn a glowing reddish color, and Hoothoot was blown back when the claws collided right into his stomach. The small Flying-type fell to the ground, fainted.

A good deal of the kids in the audience let out a little surprised cries, while I could hear encouraging cheers coming from Sam and Mallory. That made me feel a bit guilty, since I hadn't done the same for Sam. I made a quick mental note to always do that, and I turned my full attention on what had just occurred.

"What move was that?" I asked, bewildered by how quickly the events had been. I managed to pull out my Pokédex and point it at my Scyther, doing so while Falkner was busy getting a Pokeball from his pocket. "Night Slash," I whispered, reading the text.

Really, Zorro knew some decent moves. He just didn't want to cooperate or obey me.

"Okay," Falkner tossed his next Pokeball onto the field, and a steel bird emerged from its red light. "Try this one on for size." He gave me a cocky grin that I didn't return or glare at. I was way too busy trying to see what Zorro would do.

"Uh, how about using that move again, Zorro?" I asked in a small, hopeful voice. "Then, we can win?"

Zorro turned and gave me a glare that answered my question completely. "Scyther!" He turned away from me, and simply gazed over at the new Flying-type, Skarmory.

"Skarmory, use Steel Wing now!" Falkner called, raising an arm up as if to signal.

His steel bird obeyed him (immediately, I might add), and charged towards Zorro with his wings turning as hard as knives. He swooped down close to Scyther, but the dumb Bug-type simply stared at it, looking both stubborn and bored.

"Are you kidding me?" I whispered under my breath, since I knew that no one could ever answer me. Kids were starting to chuckle again, and I was beginning to feel like a coward. I longed to run out of the room, but I stood my ground, and used Zorro's ignoring me phase to return him to his Pokeball. The Bug-type was snatched into the sphere, and Spykes was sent out.

"Quil!" Spykes cried, looking glad to battle in an official gym challenge. "Cyndaquil!" The flames on his back erupted right as Skarmory swooped down above him with another Steel Wing. The flames rose high in the air, hitting Skarmory and sending her back to the other side of the battle field.

There, she landed on her silver feet, glaring at Spykes all the while. "Skar!"

"Use Wing Attack, Sckarmory!" Falkner called.

Skarmory raised her long, dagger wings and flew into the air. "Skarmory, skar!"

"Spykes, hurry and use Ember, twice!" I cried in a hasty way, glad to actually be working with a cooperative Pokémon. As expected, Spykes fired his little shots of flames, both of which hit Scarmory. However, that still didn't keep her from swiping Spykes with the edge of her wings.

"Quil!" Spykes cried urgently, stumbling over his stout feet. He fired more Ember attacks at Skarmory as the Flying-type flew towards us again with Steel Wing this time. There were plenty of fire attacks being shot, but since he was teetering, his aim was poor. Out of five Ember moves, only one managed to hit Skarmory on the tip of her beak.

Skarmory didn't flinch when that happened, and simply slammed her sharpened wing right into Spykes, hurling my poor little Cyndaquil into the ground. There, Spykes fainted.

"Oh no!" I whispered, pulling out his Pokeball. My sweet, obedient Fire-type was now unconscious and unable to battle (which dumb, old Mitchell was making very clear for the audience as he announced it), and I now only had two Pokémon left. As I stuffed Spykes's Pokeball deep into my pocket, I silently promised him several cheese Danishes for dinner, which he had shown a fondness for several times in the past few days.

As Falkner, Skarmory, Mitchell, and the audience waited patiently for my next Pokémon, my mind became muddled with strategy ideas. None were intelligent enough to even half way consider, and most of them involved using Zorro. Instead, I fished Levina's Pokeball from my pocket. Though she wouldn't be totally tough against a Steel-type, her Swift could probably take out the already weakened Skarmory.

"Levina, let's crush 'em!" I made my voice as confident as I could, but it really sounded pretty robotic. My Elekid appeared on the battle field, her grin smug and her yellow fists raised and prepared to fight. Before Skarmory could be given an order, I hurried and called out ot Levine. "Use Swift at max power!"

Levina quickly turned to me, and nodded, smiling so widely it was as if Christmas had arrived early. She began to spin her arms, clockwise, with no sign of stopping. Electricty began to charge in between her prong-like ears, and a storm of star-shaped rays was suddenly released upon the field. These rays flew everywhere, and Skarmory was hit several times.

The entire battle field was nearly hidden entirely under the clouds of dust before Levina finally stopped. She looked mighty pleased with herself, and I felt proud of her. Still, there wasn't time to rejoice as Skarmory flew out of the still wavering dust clouds, and slammed Levina with a wing. Levina fell to the ground, but was quick to jump to her feet.

As Skarmory turned the corner for another Steel Wing, Levina began to charge more electricity in her body. Right when Skarmory slammed into her a second time, Levina let forth a tough Thundershock move, which sent Skarmory flying to the other side of the field.

Skarmory fainted, which earned a surprised look from Falkner. Still, he returned his Flying-type without a word, and gave me another cocky grin as he pulled another Pokeball from the pocket of his tight fitting blue pants. "Ready for the last one, Gwen?"

I nodded my head, hoping to look eager for challenges. "Always!"

The audience fell silent as Falkner released his third and final Pokémon, the Pidgeotto from Sam's battle. I felt confident, so I quickly ordered Levina to use Thundershock. The electricity charged right off of Levina's prongs, and zapped Pidgeotto as he flew right at my Elekid.

"Pidgeotto!" Falkner must've really trained his Pokémon to ignore pain, because his Pidgeotto endured the pain of electricity enough to deliver one last blow of the move Peck on Levina before falling to the ground, unconscious.

I stared at the fainted Pokémon in disbelief as Mitchell announced the results in a booming voice. I glanced over at Levina, who was still standing strong and proud. So, since all three of Falkner's Pokémon were down, and I still had Zorro and Levina, that only meant one thing. I had won my very first gym battle!

There was applause from the audience, and there was the feeling of pride as Falkner dropped the Zephyr badge into my open hand. I was smiling so widely, my cheeks were hurting _all _night. And, really, I had a reason from smiles. I was really a trainer now!

…

_Wednesday, March 30__th__ 11:13 am_

I was glad for several different things when I awoke bright and early the next morning. First and foremost, I had won the Zephyr badge! Secondly, my Pokémon had proved just how awesome and tough they were. And, last of all, we were finally getting a move on with the traveling!

As we were departing from Violet City, we passed by a tiered tower with a pointy purple roof and multiple eaves. From what I had heard, the tower was apparently called Sprout Tower, and it had nothing but Bellsprout for wild Pokémon.

Sam made us stop to gaze at the tower for awhile, and he literally made me want to strangle him when he asked the dumbest question. "So, guys, want to go level up?"

Before I could even launch a lecture about timeliness and schedules, Mallory began to shout at Sam. "Are you kidding me? Heck, no! It'll be a waste of time, and we need to get a move on! I need to catch something cool, not some lame Grass-type!" She towered over Sam, glaring down at him. "Do you understand me, Samuel?"

Sam sighed and walked past us towards Route 32. "Remind me why I'm traveling with the two of you?"

**I have a good deal of conflicts coming up in a couple of more chapters, so I was get anxious to get close to Azalea Town. For this update's trivia question, look below!**

**Q: Name three Pokemon that evolve via trading. (Hint: This does not include Pokemon that hold objects for evolution)**

**Anyway, leave a review when you have the time, and the next update should be this Sunday, or close to then :) Au revoir!**


	8. Trust is a Key

**Chapter 8: Trust is a Key**

**Congrats to VitalInfo, Xylobe, LittleTwinStars, & Yukai-Judai123 for the correct answers! **

**I'm going to admit that this chapter doesn't contain much, but chapter 9 certainly will.**

_Wednesday, March 30__th__ 4:33 pm_

With the sky growing oh so dusky and dark, our pace quickened into a jog as we tried to near our destination before nightfall. This, however, seemed unlikely since, according to our Pokégear, we wouldn't be able to arrive in Azalea Town for a couple of days. Plus, we had to get through something known as Union Cave.

"Do you think that it's actually a cave?" Mallory asked as we passed a billboard for a Pokémon Center that (lucky for us!) was only one and a half miles away. "Or, maybe it's code for something?"

Sam had an expression of bewilderment on his face. "Code for what? A cave where union takes place, Mal?"

Mallory was quiet for awhile, and silence set in. I was pretty bored out of my mind, since the only scenery around was simple grass and trees. And to add on to that, only Sentret and Hoothoot were out and about. We eventually stopped on the side of the road for a twenty minute break.

While Sam and I refreshed ourselves with water next to some Oran berry bushes, Mallory ran to the nearest tree, and leaped onto the lowest branch. With us watching, she heaved herself onto the next branch, and finally managed to prop herself up on a top one. The tree itself was only about twelve feet tall, but even so.

"What exactly are you doing?" I called to her, standing up.

She waved her hand at me, as if to shoo me off. "Stay behind the bush!" She whispered loudly. "And be quiet!" She reached into the pocket of her white shortalls, and pulled a Pokeball out. With the Pokeball raised high in one hand, and the other hand steadying herself, Mallory kept her eyes on the ground.

Sam and I exchanged a look, but we weren't about to say a word. Though she didn't look it, Mallory could make a person see stars with a rare single slap to the face. I have no idea how she does it. Maybe it comes from all of the gymnastics lessons?

For two whole minutes, we stayed where we were; Sam and I behind a bush and Mallory in a tree. Eventually, there was a low humming sound going all around the area, and a single flying Pokémon merged from inside a few small bushes.

Though I couldn't see too well from behind the bushes, I could make out a red and black Pokémon. After a few minutes of thinking I realized that it wasn't a Flying-type but a Bug-type. My realization came at the same time as Mallory's jump from the tree. She leaped right off of the top branch and landed on her feet, though she did stumble some.

Sam and I crawled from behind the bushes and watched as the Pokémon, a Ledyba, looked at the three of us with total shock and surprise. She looked as if she wanted to run for it, but Mallory was quick.

"Use Water Gun, Tsu!" Mallory called, releasing her starter from his Pokeball. Her Totodile looked more than happy to have a chance to stretch his legs, and he quickly dashed in Ledyba's direction, throwing water the whole way.

Ledyba reacted by created an odd orange cube field around her, and Water Gun was hitting her much through it. With my Pokédex, I quickly scanned Ledyba and read its move list. Light Screen, Comet Punch, and Supersonic seemed to be its only moves, but I was able to find out the trick for Light Screen by reading.

With Totodile still using Water Gun, I called out a bit of advice to Mallory, "Long distance attacks won't work on Light Screen! Use something like Scratch, Mal!" She nodded subtly, so I truly didn't know if she had even heard me.

Apparently she did, since her next move request mirrored my advice. "Tsu, run up quickly and use Bite!" Tsu obeyed, and was quick to dart right into Ledyba, powering his big jaws up all the while. He then bit down hard on the orange force field, shattering it and stunning Ledyba. "Now, use Water Gun at full force!"

Tsu again obeyed and Ledyba was shot backwards, right into the trunk of a stubby looking tan tree. Tsu did a little jig back to his trainer, who hurled the Pokeball in her hand right at the still stunned Bug-type. The Pokeball hit Ledyba on the head, and yanked her in. It fell onto the grass, and wiggled there for a few brief seconds. Finally, it closed all the way.

"Yes!" Mallory did a fist pump and then did a neat little cartwheel over to the Pokeball. She scooped it up in her hand, and lifted it into the air, proudly. "I've got a Bug-type with awesome defensive mechanisms!" She did a twirl, and picked up Tsu with the other arm. Stuffing Ledyba's Pokeball into her pocket, and hurried down the dusty road.

Sam and I followed close behind, surprised by her new energy and cheerfulness.

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__Wednesday, March 30__th__ 5:12 pm_

Sam released Yoko form his Pokeball when we were halfway to the closest Pokémon Center. We were all kind of exhausted by that time, so it made sense to get a decent ride the rest of the way. There was a problem though. The young Doduo would only be able to carry _two _of us, so that left a pretty obvious question in the air.

Mallory was quick to climb onto the two headed Pokémon's back, holding Tsu with one arm. She settled herself there, and hung onto one of the Pokémon's long necks.

"Someone's going to have to walk." I stated, crossing my arms. "And I've got this feeling that it's going to be me."

Sam shook his head at me. "Be observant for once, Gwen. Mallory and I will ride on Yoko, and you can ride on Zorro. He's large enough to carry your weight, and he'll be quick enough as well." The words that came out of his mouth were so calm and reasonable that I felt like strangling him.

He made it seem as if riding Zorro would be an easy affair, which it wouldn't.

"Were you not sitting in the bleachers when he disobeyed my orders?" I cried, glaring at Sam. "I mean, for real?"

"Stop being melodramatic, Gwendolyn." He reached a hand over and grabbed Zorro's Pokeball from my leather belt. He pushed the button in the center, releasing the zany Bug-type. Zorro appeared in front of us, looking mildly irritated.

"Scyther!" He raised his scythes at us in his usual threatening, intimidating way.

Sam appeared to be ignoring that factor, as he stepped up beside Zorro. "Hi there, my fine bug friend." This earned him a look of disbelief from Zorro, but he continued. "Listen, we're in a hurry to get to the Pokémon Center, where we hope to seek comfort, food, and hot showers." More disbelief. "But, to get there, we'll need your help."

"Scyther?" Zorro glared at Sam, but he seemed to be listening to Sam's words, a bit. "Scyther!"

"Your trainer, Gwen, needs a lift." This made Zorro glance in my direction. "And, if you agree, you can be that tough, quick lift." Zorro looked pretty steamed by now, and not in a good way. "Of course, if you're just not quick enough or if you don't feel as if you're worth it, I get it…"

Zorro's mouth was wide open, but no words came out. He closed his mouth and made an odd grumbling noise before walking right towards me. Before I had time to react in any kind of way, he lifted me right up in the air with the flat part of his scythes.

"Ah! Put me down!" I cried out, thrashing. "Have you lost your freaking mind? Sam, help me out here!" I couldn't even see Sam very well, though I could see him chuckling to himself. And the next thing I knew, I was on something firm, green, and in between two long wings. I closed my eyes shut, expecting the worst.

I was still yelling when I felt as if I were running fast, except I wasn't. My short hair was whipping in the air, and I suddenly realized that I was flying. I opened my hazel eyes, and saw now that I was riding on Zorro's back. He was pretty quick, with both running and flying.

I felt a sense of both thrill and excitement in my stomach. And though the experience was on the scary side, it was slightly enjoyable.

Looking to my side, I could see Yoko riding close behind us, with both Mallory and Sam on his back. I caught Sam's eye, and with one hand holding onto Zorro's shoulder, I shook my fist at him. Zorro might not have been trying to kill me and it might be fun, I still would get Samuel Wilson back, even if it was the last thing I did!

_

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Thursday, March 31

_st__ 9:43 am_

After a good night's rest, lovely hot showers, and an excellent breakfast, we departed from the Pokémon Center. Our Pokémon were healed up and our backpacks were well stocked, so we really were prepared for the worst.

My plans of revenge would have to wait, but there was an excellent time coming up. Union Cave _was _a cave after all, and Sam had his own reasons for fearing the dark…

**Well, this was a pretty short chapter, but it moved the story along, right? As for today's trivia question...**

**Q:Name two Pokemon (excluding Pikachu and Eeveelutions) that evolve due to exposure to certain stones.**

**There aren't wrong answers for that question, but still...Also, any suggestions for a future Pokemon of Sam's? Suggestions are always most welcomed after all. Until next time, R & R, people!**


	9. Where Union Takes Place

**Chapter 9: Where Union Takes Place**

**Everyone who reviewed gave correct answers for the last trivia question, but their pennames will still be listed and acknowledged. Congrats to Alphinia, VitalInfo, Xylobe, Mosstail21, Yukai-Judai123, and Purple-zebralemon! And, also, thank you so much for the suggestions. And, without any further delays, the chapter of today!**

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_

Thursday, March 31

_st__ 10:02 am_

Union Cave was definitely not a cave where people unite, so the genius who decided to name it that deserves a punch to the head. When we stepped through the cave entrance, we found ourselves in a dark hallway-like area, with rough looking walls with few torch lights hanging. Feeling uneasy creep its way into my stomach, I let my little Spykes out of his Pokeball and carried him in my arms.

The warmth that enveloped in the air around him was comforting, but I still wasn't at ease until we turned the corner. Mallory was the first to see what the rest of the cave held for us, and I was really surprised to see several people in one section. There was actually a desk built into the wall where two women stood, smiling. There also appeared to be two other trainers, some guy in his early thirties, and an old guy carrying a lantern in his wrinkled hand.

"I guess we're doing some uniting here." Sam whispered as we approached the desks. "Hi, we'd like to get through Union Cave, but is there something going on at the moment?" He gestured to the other people in the room without the use of pointing, something that I would find difficult to do.

One of the women, a girl with pinned up blonde hair, shook her head. "Not at all, dear. We've just been doing this for safety reasons." She didn't gesture, but pointed to the old guy across the room. "We have wise people like him guide small groups through the cave, so if you want to get through you'll have to join his group."

"Mr. Shu's kind of deaf, so you'll have to speak loud and clear." Her colleague, a brunette, chimed in with a chuckle.

Why couldn't they just introduce us to the guy whose not only old, but deaf? Were they really too busy reading magazines and gossiping? If I ever found out who their manager was, I would file a complaint against the two of them. Or maybe not…

I had to dismiss the thought as we approached the old guy, who looked even older up close. His hair was gray and peppered with a few black streaks while his body was rather small. His nose was long and pretty bulbous while his eyes were kind of small little dots. He was busy talking to one of the other travelers in a loud, hoarse sounding voice.

"Well, them Graveler are a mighty strong when they wish ta be." Mr. Shu said as we approached right behind him. He raised his hands, almost as if he were coming clean about some crime. "But, they ain't gonna take 'ol Shu down, you know?"

The traveler, a thirty year old guy with spiky brown hair and hiking clothes, nodded and looked as if he were trying to take the senior citizen seriously. He noticed us standing right behind him, and smiled in a slight way. "Mr. Shu, I think those kids want to speak to you."

"What?" Mr. Shu cried loudly in his raspy voice, touching one of his ears. "Some lids want to peek at me? What are you tryin to say, youngster?" His cheerful mood was instantly gone as he placed his wrinkled hands on his hips. I couldn't see his expression, but I was certain that he was irritated by the innocent statement.

Being the cheerful person that she is, Mallory skipped right in front of the old guy and extended her hand in his direction. She smiled brightly at him despite the fact that he made no move to shake hands with her. "Hi, sir!" She chirped, motioning to Sam and me. "My friends and I are hoping to get through Union Cave, and we were told that you're the last tour guide. So, can we come along?" She lowered her arms to her side and kept smiling.

Sam and I stepped to stand beside her, and I could now see how puzzled Mr. Shu looked. His bushy gray eyebrows were narrowed, as if he were thinking hard about something. When words finally came out of his mouth, I was left wishing that he had thought a bit more. "What did you say, missy? You want to get to slave and I'm bold?" He stopped looking puzzled, and began to look serious. "What you trying to say, you cave urchin?"

I glanced over at Mallory and saw how clear anger was in her blue eyes. IF he wasn't such an old guy I knew that she would give him a piece of her mind. Even if she did, would he even hear her? Or would he misinterpret "You're a big jerk!" for "Four a pig work"? I tried to consider a way to communicate with him, but none came to mind.

Sam apparently (as usual) knew how to handle this, since he began to speak in a calm, loud voice. "Sir, we need to get through the cave!"

Mr. Shu kept his eyes narrowed as he began to think once more. _Finally, _he seemed to understand. "Get through the cave? Well, why didn't you childrens say so?" He walked passed us and made his way to the cave entrance, leaving us all with bewildered expression. "Better come on now."

Hesitantly, we followed behind him along with the thirty year old guy and the two other trainers. As we really entered the dark cave, I wondered, would we make it out alive?

_

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Thursday, March 31

_st__ 10:21 am_

I held Spykes close as we walked on the craggy dark ground. The only light source that we had came from Mr. Shu's lantern and from two flashlights the other trainers managed to produce. Mallory was doing okay, swinging her arms as she walked, but I couldn't say the same for Sam.

He walked right beside me, with one hand clinging to the very end of my sleeve's fabric. He was walking in quick steps, occasionally jerking me forward, much to my irritation. His gray eyes, usually calm and patient, now appeared to be widening as sounds were made. Whether it was a footstep or a yawn, Sam's eyes darted to look at every unlit corner of the cave.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying to sound pleasant. That was proving to be difficult to do, since I was ed up with the musty smell that wavered in the air.

Sam managed a nod before finally letting go of my arm. He wiped the palm of his hand on the leg of his jeans, and gave me an apologetic look. At least, I _think _it was apologetic, but his face in general, was pretty difficult to make out in the dim lighting. Sam walked ahead of me, staying close to one of the flashlight wielders.

Straining my eyes, I could make out Mr. Shu's form in the lead of our little group. He appeared to be talking to Mallory and the thirty year old guy, who both looked bored out of their minds. I contemplated on whether a rescue attempt for Mallory would be worth the risks of being yelled at by and old guy, and I finally shook my head and sped up in walking.

I soon found myself striding alongside the other kid with a flashlight. He was older than us for certain; maybe eleven or so. His hair was thick and jet-black while he was pretty tall in height. He must've felt my eyes giving him a look over, since he looked down at me and grinned.

"I'm Arnold Harrison," He said, shaking my hand with his free one. "And, you are?"

"Gwen Jenkins, from New Bark Town. My friends and I are on our way to Azalea Town, and we just got through Violet City." I explained, balancing Spykes in my arms. I was curious to know how accomplished he was as a trainer, since he was dressed in clothing that looked pretty weather beaten. Plus his skin had a pretty nice tan that one can only achieve by visiting a tropical place."Are you from Johto?"

Arnold shook his head as we turned a rough corner. "I'm actually from the Orange Archipelago, which is located close to the Kanto region." He handed his flashlight to me, which I held in one hand with Spykes clinging to my arm. Arnold pulled a case loose from his pocket, and opened it. "See, I've got the three badges from there, but battling isn't really done to achieve them." After putting his case up and receiving his flashlight back, he continued. "I'm more into battles, so I came here with my friend, Mark."

I cocked my head to the side, wondering how badges could be earned without battling. "How do the Orange gyms work, then?"

"Well, you usually just test your skills as a trainer. For instance, I earned my first badge by having a surfing race with the gym leader, Cissy. I won on my first try thanks to plenty of swimming lessons." He reminisced for a minute before chuckling. "I guess I should also thank the endurance of my loyal Seel, Des."

"Was she your starter?" I asked, pulling Spykes back into my arms.

Arnold nodded his head. "Yeah, my dad gave her to me right before I left home. She's a real cutie, which is why people always underestimate her. Anyway, how about you? Did you win the Zephyr badge in Violet City?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I did! My starter, Spykes fainted early on in our gym battle, but you should've seen my Elekid, Levina. She was pretty awesome! And, my Scyther, Zorro, was really cool on the battlefield too, using this great Night Slash." Rambling on about battles and Pokémon took my mind off of my surroundings and the musty odor that lingered everywhere we went in the cave. Plus, it was something that entertained me. Still, talking soon grew dull, and I went silent.

After what felt like several hours, I began to feel extremely restless. I was desperately wishing for sunlight of some kind, but I knew that I wasn't about to get it, anytime soon.

"Hey, Mr. Shu!" Holding Spykes steady, I jogged up to our elderly guide, doing my best to speak loud enough for his old ears to process. "Are you we close to the exit?"

"What?" Mr. Shu cried, looking irritated that I had interrupted the lecture he was giving Mallory. He narrowed his bushy eyebrows, and looked at me as if he had just realized that I was in his group. "Who the heck are you, missy?"

I bit back an overdramatic groan, and mustered up a small smile. "I'm Gwen!" I called loudly as we walked. "When will we be out of this cave?" I stretched each word out slowly and loudly, enunciating the entire question. When I was done, I kept my eyes on Mr. Shu's face, awaiting an answer.

"Well, Jen," Mr. Shu scratched his small chin, and crinkled his forehead in concentration. "We outghta be outta here by tomorrow afternoon."

"What?" I cried, stomping my foot sharply onto the rocky floor. "You mean, we have to camp out?"

"Now now, Jen," Mr. Shu gave me a glare, and shook his head. "No need to shout. I'm not deaf, ya know!" Mallory shot me a look of sympathy and understanding as they walked on.

I was left with my mouth open wide, but with no sound of any kind coming out. Not only did the old guy get my name wrong, but he was also in disbelief. Plus, we'd be spending the night in some stupid cave with hard floors and confined air. I was bound to get both cranky and claustrophobic. Just my luck, right?

_

* * *

_

Thursday, March 31

_st__ 1: 43 pm_

I found myself walking beside Arnold's buddy, Mark, which wasn't a bad thing. He was just as entertaining to talk to, but I soon found out that he wasn't into battling gyms. He explained to me that he was interested in Pokémon contests, a form of raising Pokémon that I had never paid much attention to before.

"It's all about showing off your Pokémon, based on looks, moves, or whatever can be thought up." Mark explained as we followed the rambling Mr. Shu. Mark was a tall guy with medium brown skin and short, silky dark brown hair. His voice reminded me of Sam's, because of its calm kind of tone. "The trick to winning is to be creative and openminded."

"Do coordinators get much respect?" I asked, since I had always viewed them as conceited kids who couldn't beat gym leaders. I blamed that on my ignorance, since I had never actually met a coordinator before Mark. "Or, does everyone call them snobs?"

Despite the rude topic, Mark was unbothered. He responded to me in that freakishly calm voice of his, "Well, coordinators are pretty respected, but, yes, we are called snobs by trainers. It's just a common stereotype, like how breeders are called dull and boring." He gave me a serious look with his darkish eyes. "Don't believe everything you hear, Gwen, not until you've seen it with your own eyes. Okay?"

"Of course!" I chirped, sounding like some idiot kindergartener. I kind of felt like one too, since I was basically being taught by older trainers, but they weren't speaking to me as if I were just some small, bored nuisance. This was one of the reasons why I liked Arnold and Mark, and I hoped to see both of them even after Union Cave. Maybe I would even consider entering a contest to see what they were like, since they sounded like a _tidbit of _fun.

Dialogue continued between us all, and even Sam managed to ignore the dusk corners of the cave. The thirty year old guy traveling with us introduced himself as Gabriel Ortiz, a news reporter. He was on his way to Azalea Town to document the aggressive antics of some Houndour, apparently.

He was more interesting than I thought, but his talking soon grew dull. Still, there wasn't anything particularly fun to do, so I listened as he explained aggression levels of Fire-types.

Really, the only exciting thing that happened was watching Mr. Shu's Machamp crush a few boulders that were in our way. I was not only surprised to see such an old guy with a cool Pokémon, but I also found myself wishing for one. I made a mental note to do so next time I had the chance.

We walked over the scattered remains of rocky boulder, and everything was pretty quiet for a solid ten minutes. I occupied myself by fiddling with the features of my Pokégear. I hadn't really done much with it, besides checking the time, so I scrolled through lists of different ringtones.

"Splashing Sharpedo?" Mallory read one of the ringtones over my shoulder, earning herself a confused expression. "Why the heck would some savage Water-type splash?" I was just as confused as she was, and I felt tempted to play the demo.

However, I simply shrugged my shoulders, and voted against playing a sample of the ringtone. I wasn't that curious to know what a Sharpedo sounded like when it was splashing.

With my freckled face illuminated by the lit screen of my Pokégear, I browsed through more ringtone lists. One caught my eye, enough where I did in fact hit the demo button. The ringtone was listed as "Cleanup Johnny", and I _really _wanted to hear it, so the confirm button was pressed.

Mallory and I both jumped a foot in the air when a loud, rough voice snarled, "All right, boys, clean up Johnny and send him home!" Yeah, my Pokégear had its volume turned up high. Now what irresponsible person did such a thing?

The ringtone earned a cry of alarm from Gabriel, raised eyebrows from Arnold and Mark, a look of disbelief from MR. Shu (Wow, that loud?), and a shriek of surprise from Sam, whose pale skin went burning red when everyone's eyes landed on him.

"Was that your ringtone?" Arnold asked, settling his attention on me. He looked as if he were suppressing a smile, which he finally gave in to, followed by a chuckle. Mark smiled a little, while Gabriel began t laugh in that hysteric way people do when they've just escaped danger.

With my cheeks as red as Sam's face, I turned my Pokégear's volume down and stuffed it deep into the pocket of my vest. Mr. Shu still looked baffled, but he finally shrugged his thin shoulders and continued walking in the lead. I stayed close to Sam as we went on walking, feeling ashamed about frightening him.

I had not been trying to, yet I ended up doing just that…

Before I could think of ways to apologize to him Gabriel gave another shrill cry of alarm. We all turned to him, and saw that he was pointing to a group of moving boulders. "They're angry! I can tell! It's aggression was caused by that stupid ring song thing!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, giving the boulders a confused gaze. As they moved closer to us, the flashlights shone on them, revealing features. Each Pokémon was big with a rocky looking texture, plus arms and legs. "What are those, Graveler?"

Gabriel shook his head in a frantic way. "No! They're Golem!"

**I finally managed to produce a decent cliff hanger for this story! Yippee!**

**So, here's this chapter's trivia question: Name a Pokémon that changes its type completely after evolution (Eevee does not count as an answer, but it's an easy one)**

**Anyway, I'll try and update…tomorrow? Or perhaps this Monday…But it truly depends! Until next time, au revoir!**


	10. All Alone In The Dark

**Chapter 10: All Alone In the Dark**

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 3:02 pm_

The Golem were massive sized Rock-types with expressions of pure fury. I had never been approached by an angry Pokémon before, but that was about to change. With furious stomps that rivaled my own tantrum ones, all six visible Golem came right in our direction.

I kept looking from the Golem to Gabriel, since he seemed to know a heck of a lot about aggression and behaviors. With fear twisting itself in my very stomach, I arched my eyebrows while also doing my best to keep my shoulders from hunching up with fright. "Well? What do you suppose we do?" I asked, practically struggling to keep my voice from stuttering.

With total anticipation, I watched as Gabriel met my eyes and bit his lip nervously several times. He didn't look as nervous as I felt, but his attitude wasn't the most comforting. "Um, er, do any of you have a Grass-type that knows Sleep Powder? Or, maybe a Gloom?"

I glanced at the flashlight-wielding trainers, Arnold and Mark, who both shook their heads. Mallory hurried over to my side, looking worried with her eyes wide. Feeling more fear wash over me like a gardening hose, I glanced in Mr. Shu's direction, and let out a cry of surprise. Our rambling, deaf old guide was out of sight.

"He ditched us!" I cried out, stopping myself at the last minute.

Arnold glanced at Mr. Shu's original spot, and shook his head. "He must have walked ahead. I have a feeling that he didn't hear the Golem approaching, or hear us stop and ask questions." I watched as he reached into the pocket of his dusty knapsack and pulled two Pokéballs loose. "Anyway, we won't need a measly Gloom. Just release your largest Pokémon to anticipate them."

"What?" Gabriel cried, glaring at Arnold in a way that surprised me. He looked both appalled and scared at the same time. "Are you out of your mind? The Golem will think that we're threatening them and make them territorial, which will cause a huge war!"

Arnold ignored him completely, and pushed the button of both red and white spheres. There was a familiar click and red beams of light that completely washed the dim lit cave with temporary light. To my disappointment, the light went away, leaving two large Pokémon in their place. An airborne Pidgeotto and an off white Pokémon that I recognized as a Seel.

Okay, so I'm not the expert when it comes to battling, but who uses a Flying-type against a Rock-type, much less five. Seel was a good choice (though I was pondering on whether it was intimidating enough), but a Pidgeotto? I wasn't thinking of Arnold as the brightest of us all because of that choice, but would he prove me wrong?

Mark followed up with two Pokémon of his own; a Hitmontop and a Butterfree. Those two choices were _okay, _but had failed to ease the fear that I still felt. I had no beacon of hope, but I knew that the best option would be to run when there was a chance. _Or, _to act deaf and walk off talking to yourself like our loyal guide.

My knees were quivering so badly, I desperately wanted to sit down. I wasn't about to risk that, so I clutched the strap of Mallory's shortalls with nervous agitation. I could feel her hand squeeze my shoulder, which comforted me slightly. At least I wasn't in the situation alone.

…

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 3:21 pm_

The Gust attacks performed by Arnold's Pidgeotto and Mark's Butterfree were failing to do more than whip up dirt off of the rocky cave floor. Seel and Hitmontop, on the other hand, were failing to do anything at all. Gabriel was sulking near us, glaring at everyone as if it were all our fault that no one knew was listening to him. It wasn't our fault at all!

Okay…so, it was technically my fault that we were getting threatened in the first place, but what were thye going to do? Sacrifice me as an offering?

"Golem! Gole!" One of the grumpy seeming Golem raised a muscular fist and smashed it against the rocky floors. He then threw back his head and let out a roar. I was immobilized by fear and shock as the Golem around him repeated the process. "Golem, Gole! Golem!"

Arnold's Seel, who had been sitting obediently by her trainer while the Flying-types whipped up dust, squealed out of nowhere and shot out a Water Gun in the Golem's direction. The water attack landed smack in Golem's face, which seemed to make it rough knees buckle in pain. Still frozen, I watched as the lead Golem fell to the ground, groaning.

"Golem!" The five still standing Golem began to growl loudly, making me want to run even more. They all pounded the ground in unison, growling all the way. It was like some weirdo drummer rehearsal was being done with hard fists, and that wasn't just it!

As I gripped onto Mallory's arm harder I noticed just how shaky the ground was becoming. My eyes wide, I glanced at Sam who looked as if he were prepared to faint. I could hear Gabriel yelling at Arnold about it being his fault while Mark was busy rummaging through his bag for something. During all of this the shaking grew even more intense and my hold on Mallory broke and I felt myself losing balance. I fell to the cave ground with a thud, shrieking the entire time.

"They're using Earthquake!" Gabriel cried loudly, stomping his feet onto the ground.

I was aware of the sound of more people falling to the ground, and I could the more tremors preparing to come. Arnold and Mark's flashlights must have fallen and broke because the cave was nearly completely dark now, plus I think I heard Sam running and screaming. I closed my eyes tight, knowing that it made no difference if they were open or not.

The ground shook harder than ever, and I felt myself roll further into the chambers of Union Cave.

…

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 4:45 pm_

When I finally opened my eyes I noticed that there was total silence, plus darkness. Blinking swiftly to adjust my eyes, I gently patted my head to check for any injuries. When I felt no bumps of any kind, I stretched out my legs and arms, which were met with the same craggy cave ground. Slowly, I sat up, prepared to hit my head.

Finally, but with slow motions, I stumbled onto my stiff feet. I could barely see the ground in front of me, so from what I guessed, it took me at least ten minutes to navigate my bag. Still using my hands as a means to identify, I patted the insides of my bag and was relieved to find that all of my things were there. I patted my belt, and smiled to know that all three Pokéballs were still present as well.

With one arm stretched in front of me, I fished my Pokégear out of my bag with the other hand and began to walk through Union Cave. Using the slightly bright light from my Pokégear's lit up screen, I managed to find my way in a hopeful direction.

"Mallory!" I called out in a hoarse voice. I sounded like a delirious person that just got over a hangover. Grimacing, I cleared my throat a few times and tried again. "Mallory? Sam! Mark! Anybody, help!" I stumbled over a few pebbles, but I kept walking, flashing my Pokégear light in all corners. "Anyone! Mr. Shu!" I smirked at that last shout. What was the point of calling someone for help when they can't even _hear _you?

More stumbles came as I began to jog through more craggy twists and turns. Light was beginning to fade, meaning that my Pokégear was probably going to shut down any minute. Meaning that I wouldn't have any way to get out of the cave since I'd have no light, no phone_!

At that last thought, I perked up. Pokégears can not only produce light, but make calls! With an eager motion, I dialed a number in and swooped the Pokégear up to my ear.

"Why didn't I think of this before?" I grumbled to myself as my phone-like device rang. With anticipation, I awkwardly tapped my free hand onto the side of my pants, tapping at the same rhythm of the phone's ringing. Eventually, a shrill, but familiar voice picked up on the other end. "Mallory?"

"Gwen! Where are you? Are you okay?" I was unable to get a word in as my best friend rattled on. "I tried calling you earlier and you didn't pick up. Why?"

Before she could continue questioning, I quickly began to respond. "I wasn't even conscious earlier, and plus, I turned my phone's volume down after that stupid ringtone played, remember? What about you? Are you alone?"

"No, I'm with Mark and Gabriel. The Golems' Earthquake sent the three of us close to the entrance, according to Mark's map anyway. Are you with Sam, cause he isn't picking up either?" Concern and worry was obvious in her tone.

"No, I haven't seen anyone." I couldn't disguise the worry in my voice any better than Mallory. "What about Mr. Shu? Have you seen him?"

I was kind of expecting her answer, yet I had still asked. "Not at all. He's probably out of here by now, rambling about what stuff was like in his day to no one in particular." She was silent for a brief second. "Poor guy…"

"Poor guy? More like poor us!" I began to continue walking, using my arm for navigation. I bumped into something rough which I figured was a wall. Still using my hand, I managed to find my way around it in the dark, though my leg did accidentally bang into a rock. "Ow!"

"What happened?" Mallory practically screamed in my ear.

Balancing the Pokégear in-between my shoulder and head, I soothed my leg by rubbing it a few times before finally starting off again. "Nothing major, Mal," I stated after regaining the phone back into my hand. "Do you guys have a light source?"

"Sort of…" Her voice trailed off for a bit, and I could hear footsteps in the background. "Fleur is using Light Screen, and it gives off a slight light." Fleur was what Mallory had decided to nickname her Ledyba. "And, Mark has an Abra who's using Flash."

Out of relief, I smiled as I continued stumbling over rough ground, with my boots scuffing the floor. I kept speaking to Mallory, since it truly was soothing to know that you're not completely alone. We talked about nonsense stuff, like video games and clothes. Mallory must've sensed how scared I felt because she put an effort into keeping my mind off of my surroundings.

Right when I was about to answer Mallory's question about a particular green velvet jacket I heard a young sounding voice pierce the air. "Gwen! Mallory! Help, please!" The voice sounded exactly like Sam, and surprised me so much that I jumped at least four feet.

"Sam?" I called, squinting my eyes in an effort to see. With no such luck, I began to run in the direction of Sam's voice, with an arm outstretched for guidance. "Sam! I'm coming!"

"What's going on?" Mallory's voice sounded worried and I could hear footsteps on her side of the phone. However, before I could respond my Pokégear instantly shut itself down with a not-so-helpful suggestion that I should probably recharge it.

With a loud groan that communication and light were out of the question, I angrily stuffed my dead Pokégear back into my bag. I brought my free hand to my belt of Pokéballs, and figured that Spykes would provide a light of sorts. Making a guess, I pulled a Pokeball from my belt, praying that it wouldn't be Zorro of all things.

"Elekid?" Levina instantly grabbed onto my leg when I released her from her little sphere of protection. I could barely make out her short form and her blinking eyes, but I managed to grab a hold of her firm hand. "Kid?"

I had no way to really explain much to her, so I simply patted her comfortingly on the head (or, I _think_ it was her head) and went on my way. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach that I was getting myself lost. Sam was still yelling out words, and I was going in that direction, but the cave echoes seemed to only get deeper and deeper.

At some point, my grip on Levina's hand slipped and I had to stand and search for her without any way to actually see her.

"Levina?" I asked as a hand grabbed my own. I patted it awkwardly. It felt similar to hers so I breathed a sigh of relief."Good, okay, let's hurry!" I suddenly cried out in surprise when something clung onto the hem of my shirt. With the other hand, I reached behind me and felt prong-like ears.

"Elekid?" Levina's voice came from behind me, but that earned no sense of relief.

Sam's voice was still hollering away. "Help! Gwen! Mallory! Somebody!" I then heard a scream from his voice's direction, but my mind was too frozen with fear to think.

Because, if Sam was still lost in the dark and Levina was clutching my shirt, then who the heck was holding my hand?

…

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 6:17 pm_

A hoarse cry escaped my lips as I tried without effort to see who was in front of me. Whoever it was gave my hand a tug and I felt myself being pulled. I was so scared, I actually gave in to the tugging and allowed whoever to pull me in a complete U-turn.

I could see a thing. I just hung on to Levina's shoulder as we were pulled through what felt like a tunnel. Dripping sounds echoed through it, and a shiver ran down my spine. I had never been afraid of the dark, but once we were out of this cave, I knew for sure that I would consider it on a long list of phobias. And, that fact that I was being pulled through the dark by some stranger that I couldn't even see was even creepier.

Sam's cries were getting louder, but I feared for him. What if the person puling me was a kidnapper who had been stalking us? What if they already captured Arnold, and they were going to get Sam right after me? What if they're pedophiles, which my mother had always warned me about?

I now regretted not taking my mother's warnings about traveling to heart. And, now I probably would _never _see her again. Or Colin. Or Dad. Or Granny, and Aaron. Aaron would become famous and everyone would pity him for having a missing sister.

With sobs kept back, I considered many plans in my head. I could release Zorro from his Pokeball and try and scare the stranger. But, what if Zorro started waving his scythes around? In the dark he could definitely cut my head off on accident. Or maybe on purpose now that I think about it…

A light was a appearing ahead on the cave floor, similar to light showing from an open window. I felt my heart race as the tugger pulled even more, and the rejoicing light landed on me. Warmth surged over my bare face, and I cracked a smile of true relief. I could see again!

From what I could quickly glance at, the light was coming from the disappearing sun through a medium sized hole in the wall. I didn't think much about it, since I had sight back again!

The stranger let go of my hand, and I managed to look them straight in the face.

The stranger, whom I had assumed was some creepy man who wanted to sell me to some slavery, was a girl. Not even a woman, who can be just as creepy as men. She was young, no older than thirteen, with bright red hair styled in some odd way. I mean, the front part of her, which might have been bangs, were standing straight up like ears. Her eyes were a glowing blue and she wore a dark gray dress, simple and short.

She smiled at me, but said nothing. She reached out a hand and patted Levina on the head, who was looking pretty confused. Then, the mystery girl pointed to a large hole in the wall behind me where Sam's cries were definitely coming straight from. She nodded to me a few times and stepped aside to give me room to pass.

I picked Levina up in my arms and passed by mystery girl. I looked her right I the eyes for a few brief seconds, trying to understand what had just happened. Why had she helped me, and who the heck was she? I didn't speak my thoughts, but gave a nod and smiled. "Thank you."

The girl smiled brightly and turned to head back into hole. Levina made me turn around after a couple of steps and I let out a cry of surprise when I saw that the girl was gone and out of sight. Through the hole in the hole's ceiling, I could make out an odd shadow flying away.

…

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 6:34 pm_

"Sam!" I ran faster through a narrow tunnel, followed closely by Levina. "Sam! I'm coming!"

His cries were quieting, so he had to know that I was close. Good thing that the darkness wasn't too bad. I could at least make out the floor in front of me, which was a relief. I pumped my legs faster to reach Sam quicker than ever. I was with him when his fear of the dark began to I understood why he was scared. It's the only thing in the world that I don't tease him about, and for good reason.

When I was certain that I was about to find him, I heard two screams that pierced the air. One was Sam's, and the other was unidentifiable at first, but I soon recognized it to be Arnold. I knew that Arnold would keep Sam out of danger, I was worried since he was showing fear too.

I ran faster towards the voices, and I heard the familiar click of a Pokeball closing. Pulling Levina, I turned the corner and ended up in a dim lit room. Inside, I could make out the tall form of Arnold and the much shorter form of Sam who appeared to be holding a quivering Pokeball in his hands.

"Gwen?" Sam's grey eyes narrowed as he ran towards me. I was met with a tight hug, which I returned with honest gladness that he was alive and unharmed. "You came!"

"Of course I did, Samuel." I replied standing up straight and patting him on the back. I turned my squinted gaze towards Arnold. "Are you okay? What happened?" I sounded like Mallory when she's frantic for answers.

Arnold took a deep breath and spoke. "I was looking for you guys with my flashlight when I managed to find him screaming his head off in here. I could hear you calling to him, encouraging more cries, I might add. Anyway, I was trying to drag him out of here when a freaking Gastly floated in here and scared the crap out of both of us. Sam reacted and through a Pokeball at it which caught it, though I don't know why he now wants to keep it." He shook his head. "Anyway, you finally showed up and that's that."

I smiled, though it probably wasn't too noticeable in the dim lighting. "Okay, so, how do we get out of here now?"

…

_Thursday, March 31__st__ 7:02 pm_

Using Arnold's flashlight and with a makeshift torch (made by a lone stick and a bit of Ember from Spykes) we managed to find our way to the others. Mallory met Sam and I with huge hugs which she denied doing later on. With a light produced and assisting, we managed to find our way right out of Union Cave.

In the small rest stop that the cave's exit led right into, we were met by a grumpy Mr. Shu who was convinced that we had ditched him to goof off.

"You whippersappers!" He stated in his hoarse voice. To himself he grumbled, "Kids these days, no respect for them elders. Man, back in my day…" With those words said he passed us and made his way through the entrance to Union Cave, still talking to himself.

I considered stopping him to explain what had _really happened, _but I decided against it. What would the use be if he can't even hear that well? So, I'll probably be making fun of deaf old people for awhile, but I'll never ever make fun of a blind person ever again.

Cause, not being able to see pretty much sucks.

**So, they're finally out of Union Cave and on the road to Azalea Town! However, some questions have been left unanswered. Who was the mysterious girl in the cave, and why did she assist Gwen in finding Sam and Arnold? Who knows?**

**I'll probably update tomorrow, since there's a three day weekend coming up. But, there are some other excellent trainer fics to read, and one that I suggest checking out is Enigmas: All That Glitters by Alphinia, one of the loyal reviewers of this story. It's perfect if you want a fic with realistic characters and a quick, entertaining plot.**

**Until next time, readers. Au Revoir!**


	11. Fool Target

**Chapter 11: Fool Target**

**Okay, so it's been too long since the last update, something that I plan onavoiding in the future. I had several issues with this chapter, since I kept changing what was going to go on. Plus, I grew bored with the battle scene, an issue that I'm constantly running into nowadays. Still, I'm glad with what I managed to pull out of my bag of tricks, and I hope that all readers are too. Anyway, onto the chapter.**

_

* * *

__Thursday, March 31__st__ 8:30 pm_

For the first time since our journey began, we actually camped out using the medium sized tent that Sam had luckily packed in his hefty knapsack. All three of us managed to squeeze into the tent with our Pokémon safely away in Pokéballs, while both Kenneth and Mark deciding to snooze right outside in their thick sleeping bags.

With my ears listening peacefully to the peaceful night sounds of a flock of Hoothoot, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

_

* * *

__Friday, April 1__st__ 9:36 am_

The first thing that I was aware of waking up was the date. April Fool's day fell on April first, and I was prepared for any tricks that life was going to throw at me. At the same time, I wasn't in the mood to receive pranks or deliver them, but I knew that that wouldn't be too much of an option, especially with three guys around.

As I rolled my sleeping bag up, I prayed that no one would bother to check the calendar app on their Pokégear.

As usual, there was no such luck.

* * *

_Friday, April 1__st__ 9:40 am_

Everything was packed up in a matter of minutes, and we were eventually on our way to Azalea Town. Arnold and Mark were still with us, mainly because both were going in the same direction. It wasn't as if this was a bother or problem at all, since they were pretty entertaining on the road.

Arnold had all sorts of facts to inform us of about his home country of the Orange Islands, while Mark was thoroughly interesting with his remarks about Pokémon contests. Neither of them showed the slightest interest in pulling the old handkerchief prank on us, and furthermore, Mallory and Sam weren't showing any awareness of the date either.

After twenty non-stop minutes of walking, we eventually took a refreshing break in the shade of a massive, woodsy oak tree. Pokémon were released from Pokéballs, and lunch was brought out, with all of us experiencing grumbling stomachs and tired limbs.

Sunlight filtered through the oak leaves, showcasing dancing spots of gold on the dewy grass below. I found this image to be graceful as I leaned against the trunk of the tree, lunch in hands. As I went through a six inch sub sandwich and a pack of cheese puffs, I thought about the gym battle to come, which I already knew would be all about Bug-types.

I was completely fine with that, though I silently hoped that there would be no Heracross or Pinsir. Zorro was enough after all, and my journey had already proven to be a successful one form the beginning. I had not been close to dying (unless one counted the idea of starving to death with no light in Union Cave), and I had not received any injuries of any kind. Really, my journey was going great, and I was confident that the next gym badge would be resting in my prideful hand soon enough.

As soon as I was through with eating, I leaped to my feet and called my three Pokémon to my side to commence training. With observant eyes, I surveyed each of them, checking for any needs of improvement. Levina grinned and did a confident stance, since she knew she was being evaluated. Looking her up and down, I decided that she was fine.

She had already won me the Zephyr, something that I relished with a sense of satisfaction. And, really, she was tough enough as it is. A cocky tomboy with a really fierce Swift attack. We were completely fine, and went well as a team. My eyes moved from the still grinning Levina and settled on Spykes.

Small in both stature and size, Spykes was agile with a decent Ember. I enjoyed using the flames that spiked up from his back to my advantage in battles, since it was routine for him to do after coming out of his Pokeball. Certain moves needed some perfection, so I decided to assist him in working on that. He'd be the perfect opponent for bugs in no time.

I glanced at Zorro, and caught his eye. He narrowed his black ones at me, and grimaced. Sighing, and rolling my eyes, I chose to just wok on one Pokémon's training for now.

First and foremost, Headbutt would have to be practiced, and I set to work with that.

"Spykes! Keep this ball bouncing!" I tossed the inflatable beach ball that I held in my hands up into the air, high above my little Cyndaquil. Despite being filled with air, the multi colored ball slowly came back to the earth. I watched with glee as Spykes hopped into the air, and managed lob it back up by butting his head upwards. "Keep that up, Spykes."

He nodded to me before doing another Headbutt to keep the ball airborne. "Cyndaquil, quil!"

Across the small field, close to where the others were still digesting lunch, Sam stood underneath the shining sun, working on moves with Fisher and his newly caught Gastly, whom had had recently dubbed as Delano. Apparently, it meant night in some other language, but what notified me more was how confident Sam was with his Gastly. He used to be frightened of them, but not any longer it seemed. Was he still afraid of the dark?

Thinking about that reminded me of how I had never gotten back at Sam for letting Zorro run off with me a few days earlier. That got me thinking, what could I do on April Fools for revenge? No one was showing any signs of realization about the date, so this could be my big chance.

As I continued training, I thought over different pranks, but not a single decent one came to mind. I shrugged this off, and assured myself that I would come up with something eventually.

* * *

_Friday, April 1__st__ 11:47 am_

So far in our journey, I had participated in two battles, one with a gym leader and the other with two other trainers alongside Sam. Both battles were won, and like every other legal winner, I received prize money for the success. This was one of the many good aspects for Pokémon journeys, but that was only if you're the winner.

If you lose, you've also got to cough up some cash, and you just might end up being the broke loser who has to sell their own Pokémon to afford meals. Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but close enough, though I doubted that anyone could be that bad off.

For training, Sam and I teamed up for another double battle, this time against Arnold and Mark. Levina and Delano against a Pidgeotto and an odd Electric-type that Mark called Plusle. I had never seen one before, so I figured that it had to be from a different region. It was pretty cute, but I wasn't about to underestimate raw electricity.

"Ged, let's start off this battle with a little Gust, if you will." Arnold addressed his Pokémon with a grin, and his Pidgeotto obeyed, flapping his wings swiftly. This whipped up a steady wind that soon formed into an actual miniature tornado. "Direct at them quickly!"

Levina was quick to dodge the cyclone without me even advising her. I instructed her to keep dodging, but she seemed to have plans of her own. Rotating her arms in the usual way, electricity charged out of her prong-like ears and into the cyclone of wind. Electricity and air clashed together, causing the odd Gust to go wild.

Plusle was the first to be hit by the Thundershock-Gust combo, but she appeared to be perfectly fine. Levina was also hit, but again, wasn't harmed at all. The electric cyclone that nearly clashed into Delano, but Levina managed to save him by jumping in the way and using Thundershock again to push the combo move right into the Pidgeotto, Ged.

"Pidgeotto, pid!" Ged was hit by the electric powered Gust, but managed to destroy the tornado with a single Wing Attack. Narrowing his eyes, he powered up a Tackle as he made his towards Delano and Levina. "Pid!" He clashed into Delano first, but his airborne body appeared to go right through the Ghost-type. "Pid?"

Delano looked pleased, and stuck his tongue out at Ged. "Gastly!"

I watched as Sam gave Arnold a smug look. "Did you forget that Normal-type moves don't affect Ghost-types, Arnold?"

Arnold rolled his eyes, and signaled at Mark in an odd way. It was as if they had some sort of special language, cause Mark did a bunch of signs with his hands, and Arnold responded with more sign language and nods. Plus, a few grins were exchanged ones that made me feel pretty uneasy. Their Pokémon both seemed to get what was going on as well, and were able to dodge a Shadow Ball and a Low Kick from both Delano and Levina.

With a final nod, Ged and Plusle went into action. Ged whipped up another Gust, and Plusle used Spark. Soon, they had yet another cyclone powered with electricity. Amazing! They decided to copy our own combo!

As the Gut twisted to us, Plusle hopped onto Ged's back and they were airborne, and charging in our direction. Plusle's paws were juggling tiny electric pom poms, whilst Ged was powering up a wing for Wing Attack.

"Delano, use Shadow Ball!" Sam called out, adding a small note, "Direct it at Plusle!"

His Gastly obeyed, and an eerie ball of purple and black was soon whizzing its way towards the small, reddish Electric-type. However, Ged flew higher in a way that made the Shadow Ball hit him in the chest. Since he was a Flying-type, Shadow Ball did nothing, and the two were still charging with power.

What we needed was move that wouldn't miss and would be effective against both Flying and Electric types. I lit up when I realized what to do, and I knew that it would have to be a quick activation. "Sam! Get Delano to use Psychic to leviatate Levina!"

Sam looked a little confused, plus it took him a few seconds to get what my plans were. I tapped my foot impatiently while throwing glances at the charging Plusle and Pidgeotto. Finally, he nodded and commanded his obedient Gastly. "Delano, you heard what she said!"

Delano grinned in a mad man way and nodded his floating head of a body. "Gastly!"

My cocky Elekid was soon floating high in the air, at eye level with the flying Ged. Narrowing her eyes with confidence and concentration, she nodded when I gave her a thumbs up, and released one of her awesome Swift attacks. "Elekid, kid!" The usual shower of rays thrashed into Ged, who crashed into the grass.

Plusle hopped off of his back while attempting to escape Swift, but it was no use. However, Mark wasn't about to call it quits. "Overpower that Swift with a decent Discharge!"

"Plusle, plus!" A mega stream of electricity erupted form Plusle's body and collided with the star-shaped rays, dissolving them into a shower of glass thin sparkles. Plusle's Discharge also reached Delano, and electrified him to the point of a fainted state.

"Gas!" He groaned as hovered close to the grass, eyes closed.

With both Ged and Delano out of the battle, it was between both Plusle and Levina now. Both took confident stances, and I locked eyes with Mark. He half-smiled at me, and I returned it with a kind of cocky grin.

"Plusle, use Quick Attack!"

"Levina, collide with Low Kick!"

This didn't work, since Plusle was very agile. She ducked before Levina's foot managed to come into contact with her head, and threw Levina back with a quick charge. With Levina trying to get up, Plusle charged her again with Quick Attack, and Levina was soon down as well.

"Darn!" Sam and I both cried in unison. The two of us both hurried to our fallen Pokémon, with me helping the tired Levina to her feet. I glanced over at Sam, who was holding Delano in his arms. I couldn't get how something so ghost-like could be physical enough for that, but I managed to divert my attention on how much money would have to be given to the winners of this battle.

With one hand supporting Levina, I pulled several rumpled dollar bills from my belt pocket, and made my way to the older trainers to give it to them. Arnold raised an eyebrow at the money while Mark pushed it away when I attempted to give it to them.

"Consider this to be a training battle, Gwen, and not an official one." He stated, smiling.

Making my way back to my belongings with Levina, I still considered more prank plans in my mind. Unfortunately, I still couldn't think of anything decent enough for execution, so I simply dismissed the entire idea. I was ten years old after all, and too old to still carry thoughts like that.

Besides, Sam probably wouldn't do anything mischievous to me, even if I had scared him to death with an easily irritated Pokémon.

Back underneath the tree, Sam and I healed our Pokémon the best that we could, and all five of us were soon back on the road towards Azalea Town. Despite the long break, I felt tired before we had even walked a half mile. It wasn't that my legs hurt, but my back sure did.

I had to readjust the way I was carrying my backpack at least eight times, and it was getting very annoying. When we took a fifteen minute break, I loosened the straps of my backpack in order to alter it in some way. But, when we were back on the road again, it still felt odd, kind of heavy almost.

I decided to check the insides of it when we stopped again, but the next thing I knew, we were in Azalea Town itself.

Azalea Town was smaller than both Violet and Cherrygrove City. In fact, it was actually smaller than New Bark Town, with a good sized population of azaleas. I mean, seriously, there were azalea bushes in every corner of the town, and they seemed to overpopulate the humans. However, I was wrong about that, since there was something else in the town that overpopulated the people. That something was Slowpoke, the lovely slow, salmon-pink Pokémon.

They were located all throughout the town, decorating the dusky colors of the houses with slow moving pink lumps. The inside of the Pokémon Center(our first stop) also had about four Slowpoke lumbering around. In total, I had so far seen more than fifty different Slowpoke, and I was beginning to wonder if this was the town's April Fool's day tradition.

We booked two rooms at the Pokémon Center, one for the guys and the other for Mallory and I. Inside, we set our backpacks on our beds, and while Mallory was quick to run off and explore Azalea Town, I stayed behind to inspect my cumbersome, heavy backpack.

With caution, I carefully opened both side flaps where most of my money, my empty Pokéballs, and my Pokégear were usually held. Nothing was wrong with anything there, as my Pokégear(still dead and in need of charging) was mainly fine and I had all of my money. I unzipped the large part next, where my change of clothes, supplies, and portable sleeping bag was kept. However, that wasn't the only thing in there.

Rocks of all shapes, sizes, and colors tumbled out of my backpack and onto my bed. There were at least two dozen different ones, plus a few more inside my backpack. My fist clenched and my eyes narrowed, I stomped out of the room in search of Sam.

When I found him, he looked me straight in the eyes. Finally, he said with a smirk, "April Fools, Gwen!"

Let's just close this by saying, my attempts at strangling that short, so called friend failed miserably.

**This chapter also lacks a trivia question, since I'm busy thinking up difficult ones. Also, I've decided that future winners of trivia questions will be allowed to submit a character who will participate in the Johto League. If I manage to bring contests into this story, the winner might be allowed to send in a Grand Festival character as well, but it truly does depend. As always, leave a review with your opinion, critique, suggestions, or whatever else can be though up.**

**Anyway, au revoir, readers!**


	12. Clashing Defeat

**Chapter 12: Clashing Defeat!**

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* * *

__Friday, April 1__st__ 4:30 pm_

It took only twenty minutes to explore Azalea Town, from the outside anyway. In that time I noted just how many wooden huts and cabins were amongst the ominously shaded homes. Farfetch'd came in and out of the nearby forest, carrying even more lumber with each visit. The gym also happened to be wooden, painted purple and with a tall pointed roof.

I decided to go there last of all, thinking that a new Pokémon would be an excellent thing to get before my second gym battle. However, I soon discovered that Slowpoke were the only thing around; that and two dozen Houndour who roamed the town, growling at every human. I recalled hearing about them back when we were in Violet City, but I would've thought that they would be gone by now.

"Houndour!" One of snarled at me as I returned to the gym with Sam and Arnold. He was a large one by the looks of it, with long lean legs and an annoying glint in his black eyes. I stuck my tongue out at the Fire/Dark type, earning a drawn out sigh from Sam, plus the wild Houndour bared its snappy teeth at me. With one last bark, it turned its dark body away from us and scampered off to spook a couple of Slowpoke. "Houndour!"

As we entered Azalea Town gym, I considered explaining to Houndour that there was no use in pranking Slowpoke, even if it was April Fools'. Earlier that day, I found out why they had their species name when I accidentally stepped on a tail. The earlier Slowpoke had stared up at me with blank eyes before finally dozing off.

Still, what would the use be in trying to communicate with a snarling dog?

…

_Friday, April 1__st__ 4:37 pm_

If someone were to ask me what Azalea Gym was like, I would say exactly one word. Bugs. That's right, bugs. They were everywhere in the gym, crawling on the many trees or through the tall grass, or just giving us curious looks. I mean, I know that the gym leader specialized in Bug-types, but come on! There were mainly just dozens of Caterpie, Weedle, Metapod, and the occasional Ledyba. Even so, they were just plain bugging us, pun not intended.

And to make matters worse, the gym leader was nowhere to be found. Instead, a small child with silky, shoulder length locks of lavender hair stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed and a grin on their face. Their age was a mystery. I was having a hard enough time guessing their gender! But I figured that they couldn't be any older than seven or eight.

"Hi. Here to challenge the gym?" The kid said in a rather nasally voice. It sounded like a small boy, so I assumed that it was a small boy. He uncrossed his thin arms and let them hang against his body, which was clad in a greenish outfit that reminded me of the crazy bug obsessed kids who hung around most small towns. I then recalled hearing from Aaron that Azalea had a tiny gym leader, who just so happened to be the younger brother of a guy in Sinnoh Elite Four.

I began to feel uneasy, and a quick glance at Sam told me that he was thinking similar things. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Arnold, who immediately stepped up and spoke.

"You bet we are!" Arnold stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, and slouched causally. He simply oozed confidence, something I envied. Still, I knew he wouldn't be confident after saying the words that I predicted. Before I could stop him, he spoke. "So, where is the gym leader? Are you his daughter or something?"

Surprisingly, the boy didn't yell or anything, though I noticed a pinkish tinge grow on his naturally pale cheeks. He shook his head, and brought a hand to his shoulder, where it stayed. His dark eyes level with Arnold, he responded, "No, but I was the original gym leader's brother before he left for the Elite Four last year. As you probably incorrectly guessed, I am not under the legal trainer age of ten. I'm actually twelve years old, possibly older than all three of you." He smirked and stood up tall, which made my uneasiness grow. "Anyway, I'm the Azalea Town gym leader now. Bugsy, Bug-type specialist."

Arnold's cheeks were as red as a Ledyba, and he was avoiding Bugsy's eyes before finally uttering a complete sentence. "Uh, sorry about it."

This failed to do more than earn eye rolling from both Bugsy and me. Sam managed to console the prideful Bugsy though. "I'm very sorry for my friend's mistake. And, I can say that I know exactly how it feels. As a fellow short person I have commonly been mistaken to be an eight year old. In fact, back when I was seven, Gwen and I were in this after school program. This girl, Mallory, came in and assumed that she had accidentally stumbled upon a day care center for kindergarteners. She's one of my best friends to this day, but mistakes happen."

I kept my eyes on Bugsy, whose eyes were on Sam. He looked as if he were trying to figure just how genuine Sam's apology and little memory tale were. He finally smiled at Sam, as if the two had an understanding. "Nice to meet someone who gets it. What's your name?"

"Samuel Wilson, of New Bark Town." Sam went on in his naturally calm voice. "All three of us would love to challenge you to an official gym battle, please."

Bugsy seemed to be considering this, and finally shrugged his tiny shoulders. "Fine, but you'll have to be first. Your tall friend has already irritated me," His dark, childlike eyes then landed on me. "And not to sound sexist or anything, but I generally prefer battling male midgets versus female midgets."

"What?" I cried unable to contain myself. "Not to sound sexist? But, you do!"

Bugsy simply shrugged and walked to take his place on the grassy, Bug Pokémon infested battlefield. With a wave of his arm, all Bug Pokémon cleared the way, allowing the first Pokémon, a Butterfree, to hit the stage. "Anyway, I also prefer battles without grumbly referees so go on ahead and release your first Pokémon, Sam. By the way, I go by the two on two rule here."

I stood by an uncomfortable looking Arnold as Sam faced off against Bugsy. I kept my eyes on the Bug-Pokémon everywhere, but I managed to grow used to their endless buzzing, and my eyes were soon paying full attention on the gym battle to come. Delano was sent out for the first round, something that wasn't too surprising.

Sam's expression made him appear to be deep in thought. Sam stood up straight, prepared to finally call out the first command. Bugsy might have been two years older than Sam, but that didn't stop Sam from being two inches taller. Seriously, height between the two of them was purely ridiculous.

"Delano, fade out, just like the way we've practiced."

Like the ghost that he was, Delano's hazy, purple body disappeared completely. I strained my eyes and looked all over to find him, but the Gastly was nowhere to be seen. Bugsy's Butterfree also looked confused, and was looking in every direction. Bugsy, on the other hand, looked pretty downright impressed.

I then caught sight of Delano fading back to his usual form. He came in right behind the floating Butterfree, where he had his eyes on Sam for the next command.

"Okay, use Lick!"

"Gastly, gas!" One long, slimy tongue shot out of Gastly's wide chuckling mouth and sweeped against Butterfree's wings. Watching it made me feel grossed out, while the move caused static to rush over Butterfree's body. The Bug-type was paralyzed, and fell to the battlefield floor because of it. Delano was pleased with himself, and chuckled again. "Gastly!"

Butterfree, meanwhile, writhed on the floor, completely paralyzed. However, she managed to pull off a String Shot, which didn't do much, but simply irritate Delano. "Butterfree!" Slowly, but surely, Butterfree managed to fly off the ground, though she was limited to flying barely a foot in the air. Now airborne, she whipped her wings, performing a kind of weak Gust move.

Gust blew Delano back, but he wasn't injured by it or anything. He simply hovered in the air some more, and chuckled softly, enraging Butterfree further. "Gas!"

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Sorry about him. He prefers this versus actual battles. Anyway, use Night Shade to finish the round, Delano!" After more laughing, Delano finally became serious and performed the Ghost-type move. It involved Delano's eyes growing red, which caused a beam of dark energy to shoot out of his mouth. Butterfree was hit, but still conscious. "Darn it!"

"Butterfree, free." Butterfree sighed and turned to look at Bugsy. I'm not too sure what things were said between them, but whatever it was Bugsy sighed as well and raised Butterfree's Pokéball.

"I'm going to go ahead and forfeit Butterfree from the match." He announced, returning the Bug-type. "She's pretty darn irritated with that Gastly of yours, but perhaps my next Bug-type will be able to irritate him instead, right?" With a swing of his other arm, another Pokémon was released onto the field, one that earned a gasp and groan from me. "Time to battle my starter, the amazing Scyther!"

Great, just great! When I battle Bugsy there'd be a complete disaster if I accidentally let Zorro out of his Pokeball, just like did with the last gym battle. The very thought made my cheeks go red from the embarrassment I had felt then, and I clenched my fists tightly, hurting the palm of my hand.

"You okay, Gwen?" I glanced at Arnold who had actually been watching the battle with amusement. He didn't seem so anxious about his earlier remark, but he was slouching, as if he were trying to appear shorter than his actual height. "You seem pretty nervous?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and let out a nice long sigh. "Yeah, something like that. I have a Scyther, too, and a pretty crazy one at that." I looked over at Sam's battle, and saw that Bugsy's Scyther was not only tough, but extremely obedient. This failed to ease anything. "He's powerful and everything, but terrible compared to Bugsy's, and I was actually considering using him."

"You should use him, especially if he's tough. Ged, my Pidgeotto, never listened to me at first, but we gained each others' respect over time. Remember, Gwen, you're not going to immediately be a team with your Pokémon. There will always be times when they disobey orders. Just earlier today your Elekid put her own twist on the moves you told her to use, and they nearly worked." Arnold shrugged, his eyes on a nearby airborne Ledyba. "Anyway, I'm pretty nervous too, but mainly cause that Bugsy kid keeps looking at me with this stupid smirk on his face."

"He doesn't like anyone who makes fun of him, I guess." I made way for a c

"No, he just doesn't like tall people period. He likes Sam because of his height, and he's okay with you, too. But I have a feeling that he plans on giving me a pretty hard time."

I frowned at that thought, and glanced back at the battle just in time to see Bugsy's Scyther deliver a Night Slash right into Delano. The usually chuckling Gastly fainted instantly. Still calm, Sam returned Delano to his Pokeball, and let out Yoko.

"Yoko, speed up and use Fury Attack!"

With his heads bobbing together, Yoko managed to deliver a successful Fury Attack onto Scyther. However, Bugsy's Scyther was quick and managed to dodge a Quick Attack. With a rushing jab of one of his two scythes, the Bug-type used False Swipe and knocked Yoko to the ground. There, the Bug-type fainted.

I gasped out of surprise. Sam had actually lost against a gym leader?

"Scyther, excellent job!" Bugsy complimented, returning the lean Bug-type. He spoke to Sam with a look of sympathy. "I'm actually sorry that you lost, since it isn't usual that short person manages to put up a decent fight. Do some training, and come back for a rematch! Promise?"

Sam grinned. "Of course!"

Sam hurried to where Arnold and I stood, with a smile of vague sadness on his pale face. Bugsy followed closely, looking pretty hyped up and ready to battle. Any confidence that I had managed to build up wilted like a flower when he looked me right in the eyes. My gym battle was up.

For the first round against Bugsy, I used Spykes. I had originally planned on using Levina, since I used her the most out of all of my Pokémon when it came to battles. However, I had began to worry that I wasn't giving Spykes enough attention. Sure, he was loyal even when I didn't battle with him constantly, but how long would that last?

Anyway, Spykes was used and put up a pretty decent fight against Bugsy's Ledyba, who wasn't at all nice and gentle like Mallory's. This Ledyba was a total pain who enjoyed ramming into Spykes with Tackle. Despite this, Spykes did well, dodging moves and using both Ember and an improved Heabutt. However, a single Mach Punch caused my little Cyndaquil to faint.

"Cynda..." Spykes weakly let out a cry before falling flat to the ground. I picked him up in my arms in an effort to rouse him, but it was no use. With a few comforting words said, I returned Spykes to his Pokeball, and prepared to release Levina.

Levina managed to use Swift, which defeated Ledyba. However, when Bugsy's Scyther was brought out again, I knew that we would be better off forfeiting from the match itself. Swift was used well, since it was one of those undodgeable moves. But once Levina was using Low Kick and Spark, Scyther had the advantage with speed.

After using Wing Attack, Bugsy's main Pokémon knocked my Elekid to the ground.

"Ele…" Levina fell to the ground, and I hurried to her side. I returned the fallen Electric-type to her Pokeball, and let out one drawn sigh. First Sam, and now me. Why did I have a feeling that Arnold would end up being the victor of the next battle?

"Well, some midget pride, you guys." Bugsy regarded me with his hands placed on his tiny hips. A disappointed look was set on his face when he shook his head. "I expected more from both of you. I mean, yeah, there are always rematches. But, geez!" He gave Arnold a cold look. "Guess it's just you, huh, giant guy?"

"Would you stop discriminating against people of different height?" I cried making my way towards the exit. "Being short doesn't make you a different culture, you know!" Yes, it was immature, and yes, it was a horrible way for a gym leader to see me, but I quickly left the gym in a huff.

**Trivia questions are finally back on! Hurrah!**

**Q: What is the pattern for the names of Team Rocket duos?**

**This may be a slightly difficult question, but it's an official one. Whoever answers correctly first will be allowed to submit 1 OC to participate in the Johto League. May the best Pokemon maniac win! Anyway, as always leave a review and tell me what you thought! Until next time, au revoir, readers!**


	13. Must Love Bugs

**Chapter 13: Must Love Bugs**

**Finally, another update! The winner of last update's trivia question was Jigglypuff's Pillow, who has won the chance to submit an OC (through PM, of course). Congrats, Puff!**

_Saturday, April 2__nd__ 10:05 am_

As predicted, Arnold actually did manage to obtain the Hive badge from Bugsy. According to Sam, who unlike me had actually bothered to stay and watch, Bugsy had been hesitant to give a 'tall' person one of his precious badges. This just made me dislike the midget gym leader more, and for most of the next morning I spent reclusive minutes in my Pokémon Center room.

I lay in bed sideways so that my head hung down the side of the bed. While my eyes looked at everything in the room with an upside down viewpoint, I kicked at the wall with shoes still on. Each stomp made me feel even more soothed than before. _Stomp, stomp, stomp!_

Who cared if Nurse Joy stormed in here with a fleet of Chansey? The most she would do would probably have to do with a soft voiced lecture or moral, as if she knew what it was like being a trainer. However, that got me thinking, what if every single Nurse Joy was simply a trainer failure? Maybe a nurse was just a weak excuse or something?

That thought was dismissed since it was taking my mind off of being angry, and unfortunately, at the moment I wanted to be a pain and a brat. I stomped harder, enough to inflict several dark footprints on the wall. Who cared Nurse Joy would have to be the one who cleared them off? Maybe if she contracted food poisoning, someone else in town would have to do, someone like Bugsy?

That was unlikely; I narrowed my eyes into a pretty lame glare. He was not only an overly sensitive midget but a sexist as well. I kicked at the wall harder, and soon heard a few bangs on the door along with a few shouts.

"Hey, you stupid kid! Quit banging the wall, or your head will be banging! Understand?" I flinched slightly when a gruff voice screeched through the locked door, but I managed to stiffen by body and respond in a steady, confident voice.

"My Scyther will kick your butt, jerk!" I hollered back at the top of my lungs, delivering a double performance of Stomp onto the wall again. I kicked the wall one last time for good measure before listening for the voice's response.

"What did ya say to me, punk! You better open the door like a man, coward!"

Geez, did he not know that I was a defenseless ten year old girl? Probably not since my voice wasn't the most feminine when I was in a tantrum state. And, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care. I felt bad for yelling at him, but why did he have to yell at me first? I could've been having a band practice for all he knew.

My stomach tightened as the man continued to gripe loudly in the hall. I just felt thankful that I had thought to lock the door before beginning the stomping session. I felt thankful even further when a familiar, cheerful voice began speaking.

"Oh, hi, sir. Is there a problem?"

"Yeah! This dumb kid's been threatening me. Do you know him?"

Mallory sounded a little uncertain, but she answered with a yes. "Er, yeah, I know them very well. I'll get them to stop, sir. I'm very sorry if they were disturbing you."

There were groaning footsteps as the gruff voiced guy moved away from the door. "Alright, kid. Get them to stop kicking the wall, too. Understand?" After Mallory responded, he must've left, because the only thing to be heard now was Mallory knocking on the door.

"Gwen, open up! I've got so many awesome things and some news to tell you."

"Do they have to do with setting a wild Machoke on Bugsy? Or did he finally reach puberty, all on his own? Was there a growth spurt involved?"

Mallory's response sounded confused. "Uh, no…Could you please just be mature and open up the door?"

"Never!" I commenced my wall kicking, which almost drowned out Mallory's next words. Almost.

"Gwen, if this is about your loss to some stupid gym battle, then I've got two words for you. Grow…up! The world doesn't revolve around you, Gwendolyn. So, you can either sulk all day and damage the Pokémon Center property, or you can get up, eat something, and improve your battling skills. Do you hear me?" She no longer sounded cheery, but very serious. "Now, open up this door before I kick box it down!"

I wouldn't put it past her to try, so I stopped kicking, hopped out of bed, and unlocked the door from the inside. I quickly retreated to sit on my bed with a few pillows close by for ammo, just in case Mallory planned on kickboxing me for kicks. I stiffened as she entered the room, but I settled down when I noticed her balancing a plate of waffles in one hand while holding Tsu tightly in the other.

One thing that Mallory never does is break dishes.

"They had waffles for breakfast, your favorite!" Mallory sang with her cheery voice making a comeback. She did a twirl and dropped the plate lightly onto my lap. After closing the room door, she sat down in the bed across from me, and settled Tsu beside her. Her blue eyes wide and eager, she propped her head up with her elbows resting on her knees. "So, ready to hear my news? Or do you want to scream into a pillow?"

"The walls have been damaged enough, and I don't want to end up tearing the pillows apart with my teeth or anything." I replied smiling slightly while taking several large bites of waffle. With my anger leaving, I was seriously starving. After swallowing one hectic mouthful, I spoke again. "Anyway, what's the news?"

"Well, I have several things to announce actually." She sat up and began to dance on her toes while still staying seated. She can almost never sit still. "First of all, you probably didn't hear, but there was an explosion in Union Cave."

"Wait, what?" I nearly choked on another mouthful, but I managed to regain clear lungs. I was surprised by the news, especially since just two days earlier, we had actually been in that very cave. "For real? When? Why? Was anyone hurt?"

Mallory rolled her eyes at me. "Wow, I have all the answers, now? It happened just a few hours ago. If you had been down at breakfast you would've heard about it. The news has been telling everyone, including your parents. Oh, by the way, they called a half hour ago on the videophone, along with mine and Sam's. But, we'll get to that later. Anyway, no one was hurt since the entry and exit for the cave were closed. But apparently, the cops suspect that two well known criminals did it with a couple of Electrode or something. They're after a Pokémon apparently, but the news didn't mention it too much."

This was all a lot to process in a few seconds. My parents were worried and calling, there was an explosion, and now criminals were after some Pokémon? Thinking about Pokémon in Union Cave made me recall a memory of that odd girl who had helped me locate Arnold and Sam in the cave. Was she connected to this?

"Earth to Gwen." I snapped back to reality when Mallory began to continue speaking. "Your parents, especially your mom, want you to call on your Pokégear as soon as possible. And, for the good news! I've decided to try out coordinating, and possibly even the Pokéathlon things that they're beginning to have."

"You? A coordinator?" I couldn't help the snickering, but it was a little on the ridiculous side. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Mallory _would _be good at performing in that way. She could do gymnastics, her Totodile could dance, and her Ledyba had an awesome Light Screen defense strategy. What could go wrong? And, if that didn't work out, she could be a Poké Athlete, since she was already super active.

"Once again, Gwendolyn Thatcher wanders off into deep thinking. Will she be returning shortly to alert her best friend, Mallory Weiss, of her thoughts and support? Does young, aspiring child prodigy, Mallory, even have Gwen's support? Find out once Gwen returns to reality once more." With her hand holding an invisible microphone, and with her voice doing its best to imitate a news anchor, Mallory received plenty of weird looks from my direction. Meanwhile, Tsu was getting enthused by her mimicking, and was now thrashing about in a Polka styled dance.

I hurriedly jumped to my feet, and grabbed my belt of Pokéballs. "Okay, I'm going to go schedule a rematch with Bugsy. You can either play pretend with Tsunami, or come along, 'child prodigy'." I was sure to emphasize my distaste at her choice of words by using air quotes. This only ended with her showing off by doing a somersault out of the room.

* * *

_Saturday, April 2__nd__ 10:33 am_

While walking around Azalea Town mindlessly with my fully charged Pokégear at my ear, I listened as my mother lectured me endlessly about the dangers of not keeping in touch. The dangers of traveling at the age of ten, the dangers of being a girl. Where was she getting this stuff?

"It's been an entire week since you left, Gwendolyn." My mother said in a firm, I-mean-business kind of voice. She sounded about ready to drive to Azalea and drag me home. Because I was so not about throw away my hopes of having an excellent Pokémon journey, I made my voice charming and listened to her talk. "I hope you'll learn to call at least every two days, especially with these criminals on the loose. Otherwise, I'd probably have to come along and travel with you myself."

A horrifying image entered my mind, nearly paralyzing me with fear. My mother was threatening to travel with me through the Johto region? I already did stuff that I wasn't always allowed to do at home, like staying up past midnight on weekdays and eating candy bars with breakfast. Just how terrifying would it be with my mother there to watch my every move like a hungry Fearow?

"I'll be sure to call often from now on, Mom!" I practically yell into the Pokégear with eagerness. "Really!"

My mother wasn't convinced right away, but I managed to reassure her and I was soon hanging up. I breathed a deep sigh of relief, knowing that I would be repeating something similar when I called home up again on Monday. I joined Mallory close to the Pokémon gym where we had decided to do a bit of Pokémon move improvement. I also planned on scheduling a rematch with Bugsy as soon as possible.

Mallory did plenty of training with her Pokémon, though a lot of hers involved back flips and physical training. Zorro watched them with an amused expression etched into his green mantis face while I busied myself training both Levina and Spykes. Swift was Levina's best move, and I planned on using Low Kick for close combat fighting; meanwhile Ember would be used for far range attacks with Headbutt as the other option. I felt prepared for a rematch, and soon we were headed in Azalea Gym's direction.

"You don't mind if I wait outside," Mallory picked at her fingernails, trying to look as casual as possible was we approached the gym doors. Her blue eyes kept their worried gaze on the grassy ground as she spoke. "Right?"

I heaved a deep, drawn out sigh, complete with eye rolling. "You're seriously not still afraid o Bug-types are you? I mean, look at Fleur!" I pointed right at her sweet and gentle Ledyba who cocked her head and questioned my gesture with her twinkling dark eyes. "Furthermore, there aren't any Pinsir or Heracross in there. Otherwise, I would just skip this gym!"

Mallory rolled her eyes at me in annoyance, over the casual act and over looking nervous. "You have no sympathy, do you? Must I remind you that it was your freaking brother who caused my fear? He dropped a slimy Weedle on my head!"

"That was three years ago! And we got him back, remember? We ambushed him and his stupid friends with a bunch of water balloons and my dad's Blastoise."

"So?" Mallory stretched out the word so it sounded as if it were at least four syllables. She stamped her foot right into the tufts of grass that located themselves all throughout Azalea Town. "The point is, no! I'm not going in there, and you can't make me!" With each word, she stamped even more aggressively. I noted how much she was turning into a bratty, tantrum-ridden thing, and considered threatening her with dumb somersaults. However, any further words between us were interrupted by low growls and doubtful "Slows?"

The two of us spun away from the gym and took in the Houndour that stood there, flanked by one other Houndour and two Slowpoke. I suppressed a snicker when I realized that the main Houndour was the same one who had been growling at us the day before. I could tell since that same Houndour had has an odd white splotch on his chest, whereas the other with him had white speckles on his ears. Overall, I had a slight feeling that this white chest Houndour was out to get us.

"Ugh! That same one interrupted our training yesterday!" Mallory griped, her casting a glare onto the angered Houndour. He responded with a racketing snarl, which she returned with a mock kick in his direction. This spooked both Houndour to retreat (still throwing more growls as they scampered off), whereas the Slowpoke stayed frighteningly still. "Doesn't this town care about how aggressive these things are?"

"And annoying!" I added, recalling the night before. It appeared that the Houndour enjoyed huddling together under the moonlit sky where they would bellow out howling symphonies for hours. I scooped Spykes up in my arms and hurriedly opened the doors of the Pokémon gym. "Anyway, I'll be back in a bit."

Leaving Mallory, her Pokémon, Zorro, and Levina outside, Spykes and I jogged into the gym, but the small, purple haired gym leader/ sexist was nowhere in sight. Calling his name, I passed under the thick willow branches of the greenhouse gym's trees. Bugs were all over the place, but their leader wasn't responding to anything.

"Bugsy! Are you here?" The silence seemed to answer that question for me, but I heard the sound of a video game coming from one of the doors at the very back of the gym. The door swayed ajar as Spykes and I went through. Inside was what appeared to be a traditional den, the kind that you'd expect to find in a family home or something.

A flat screen TV hung from a white wall with several black wires connected to it along with about half a dozen different game systems. There were three lumpy, chocolate colored couches across from the games where Bugsy stood moving the joystick of a game controller eagerly. As I walked into the room, I glanced at the screen and saw that he was up against his Scyther in game of Ponyta Dash.

Despite the fact that it was only a video game, both bug and trainer were taking it seriously. Bugsy's Scyther was having no trouble at all using his long, sharp scythes to controlTalk about competitive!

"Oh, hey, Gwen!" Bugsy said, noticing me out of the corner of his eye. With a jerk of his elbow, he pointed towards the couch. "Hang on while Archie and I finish this." Careful to duck under the light of the TV, I managed to pass by the determined Bugsy and Scyther without disturbing their intense game playing.

Across the room, there was a glass sliding door which sunlight was filtering through, delivering rays of warmth onto the brown carpeting of the room. Bugsy's Ledyba and Butterfree were busy lounging in the rays while sipping a gold colored liquid from cans. I read the labeling on one of them, and realized that it was nectar, something that I read about. Apparently Bug-type Pokémon loved the stuff, and viewed the same way my little brother Colin would see a huge bowl of a chocolate chip mint sundae, a family favorite.

Spykes scurried over to them, and despite Ledyba's aggression in battle, he was greeted with welcoming exchanges of "Butterfree, free!" and "Ledyba, ba!". Or something along those lines.

Since neither Pokémon were showing an interest in harming Spykes (in fact, they were making room so that he could join them in nectar sipping and sun bathing), I let my hazel eyes examine the room. It wasn't much, just what you expected to see in the average twelve year old's house, but it was kind of surprising to see a gym leader playing video games like a regular kid. It made me recall how I used to believe that teachers lived in the school.

I moved over to the fireplace that stood a little ways away from the TV and sliding door, and looked at the different trinkets and photo frames that were displayed atop it. There were miniature statues of Hoothoot, and several colorful glass ornaments. One of the things that caught my attention was a picture lined with a photo frame dotted with several Wurmple and Caterpie stickers.

In the picture two boys stood side by side, both holding Butterfree catching nets in a hand. One boy, who appeared to be around thirteen, was tall with lean muscles developing on his arms. He had slightly spiky, light grassy-green hair and eyes that looked back at you in a way that challenged you almost. His smile was confident and his tall figure was the complete opposite of the boy next to him, who I soon recognized to be a much younger Bugsy. His lavender hair was just a bit shorter, and he looked about six or so. Both boys looked happy and pleased, with the taller boys free arm around Bugsy's thin shoulders. Meanwhile, it seemed that young Bugsy had to settle with an arm around the other's waist.

"That's me and my older brother." I nearly gasped with surprise when that voice spoke, but I managed to calm myself and turn to face Bugsy. He was half smiling at looking at the picture with a wistful expression on his face. "I know that he's happy and all challenging trainers as one of Sinnoh's best, but I can't help missing him. You know?"

I nodded, remembering the times when I missed my brothers. Last year, Colin went to a sleepaway camp for a week, where young boys were taught basic camping skills. Despite how annoying he is with his sudden sugar rushes and obsession with Charizard, I desperately yearned for his return. And, when Aaron left home, I also couldn't help missing him. Who cared if they got on my nerves? Who cared if one could be a spoiled brat while the other enjoyed giving me a cocky grin? They _were _my brothers, and that's just what they do.

"Before I left on my journey, there were days when I missed my older brother, Aaron. He's been out here on his own for a couple of months now."

Bugsy's eyebrows rose so high, they practically disappeared behind his silky bangs. "Wait! Your brother's name is Aaron? So's mine!"

It was soon my turn to raise an eyebrow, out of surprise and realization. "Your brother's Aaron of the Sinnoh Elite Four? The Bug-type specialist? When you mentioned him yesterday, I thought that you meant that he went to battle them or something."

"Nope." With his hands on his hips, Bugsy grinned proudly. "He did that like three years ago, and he managed to wow them enough with his Pokémon. He was the gym leader here originally, but once the Pokémon League people thought I was old enough, Aaron was allowed to enlist me as the official gym leader, and off he went." After one more prideful sigh of nostalgia, Bugsy's expression turned serious. "So, fellow midget, what'd you come here for?"

For several minutes I actually thought that I was beginning to like the guy, but then he just _had _to remind me of the stupid short people crap. Still, I managed to explain wanting a rematch without gritting my teeth. However, I ended up doing so when he began to laugh.

"First, you didn't know a thing about my brother, the original gym leader," he began to list numbers with his fingers. "And, second, you don't know that as a normal underage gym leader, I'm entitled to free, fun filled weekends? What made you think that a video gaming freak like me would want to pause the game to battle with a midget who has no pride?"

"You paused the game to talk to me, didn't you?" I reminded him.

"Yeah! Cause I thought that you had changed your mind about the pride lacking act for all short people." Bugsy shrugged his shoulders, digging his hands deep into his pockets. "Moving on, I'll gladly battle you this upcoming Thursday."

"What?" I cried. For five whole days I was expected to remain in the sleepy town with hardly anything to do besides watch Houndour howl and bite the tails of dopey Slowpoke? I'm impatient enough as it is when it comes to slow walking, and now I had to wait nearly a week before I could leave! "Why not sooner?" I was unable to retrieve any whining from my tone.

"Because, I already have at least four other challenges to attend to. Plus, your proud midget friend came earlier to schedule his rematch, which will take place a day before yours. Anyway, want to play Tyrannitar Brawl Challenge with us?"

To top it all off Sam was yet again going to battle a gym leader before me. And now Bugsy was asking me to play a video game with him and his bugs. How nice! I looked over at the sunbathing Pokémon, and earned yet another gasp of shock. Spykes was standing at his full height, tottering in every direction. While his feet threatened to topple over, he continued sipping up nectar from the cans.

Butterfree was hovering over him, concern written all over her face; Ledyba on the other hand was snickering and watching my poor Cyndaquil with amusement. I was quick to snatch Spykes up in my arms where I cradled him closely in his drunken state.

"Don't tell me," Bugsy regarded me with arms crossed once again. "You let him drink some of their nectar, didn't you?" When I nodded my head and awaited advice, Bugsy shook his head, chuckling. "That's Dazzle nectar, made specifically for Bug-types. Any other type will be just as bad as a troubled man at the local bar."

"Oh no!" I rocked Spykes gently, and spoke as soothingly as I could to him. "You'll be okay, Spykes! This won't last for more than a day. You'll be fine!" I was reassuring myself more than him as he continued to moan with agony. I turned to Bugsy with desperateness stamped on my face. "Right?"

Bugsy nodded. "Uh, yeah. You make it sound as if he's your only Pokémon. Are you depending on him to win the rematch?"

"No, I plan on using Levina, my Elekid. Definitely not considering my Scyther…"

"Wait!" Bugsy's face lit up with excitement. "You have a Scyther? For real? Let me see!"

I was more intent on taking Spykes to the Pokémon Center, but with hesitant steps I led both Bugsy and his Scyther, Archie, outside to where Mallory and the Pokémon were busy with training.

* * *

_Saturday, April 2__nd__ 11:22 am_

"Elek?" Levina was just as concerned as Bugsy's Butterfree when she saw the state Spykes was in. She took him gently in her firm, yellow arms, sending glares of suspicion in Bugsy's direction. "Elekid?" Her dark eyes are narrowed as she cradles the snoring Spykes. Despite the cocky front she puts up in battles and such, she can get pretty loyal and defending when she wants to.

I reassured her that it was not at all Bugsy's fault while the mentioned midget praised the state my Scyther was in. I had my eyebrows raised for the third time that day when I heard that. He looked just like Bugsy's Scyther, Archie. The only difference was that Archie actually cooperated with his trainer. Zorro, on the other hand, preferred the alternative.

"Scy?" Zorro looked confused when compliments kept rolling. He must have not been too used to it, despite some nice things that I had occasionally told him. He looked pleased with Bugsy, and curious about Archie. With his head cocked to the side, he listened as Bugsy prattled on with questions.

I answered every single one thrown at me, and breathed a sigh of relief when his attention was diverted. He caught sight of Fleur and instantly began to interrogate Mallory, who kept giving me looks as if it were _my_ entirefault that he was out there in the first place. When the tiny gym leader was through, he became quiet for a full minute.

"All right, I've got an idea," He finally said once the time was up. "When we have our rematch next week, we'll do something different besides the standard two on two. It's been awhile since I last saw a trainer here with a Scyther, so how about a one on one battle between Archie and yours?" With eager eyes, Bugsy awaited an immediate answer.

**And there you have it, folks! I never purposefully named Aaron after the Elite Four bug guy, but simply because I've always liked the name. In a way both Bugsy and Gwen have things in common. They're midgets and they have brothers who share the same name and are apparently coccky hot shots. Moving on to the trivia question...**

**Q: What Flying-type Pokemon appears in every single main series game, excluding the Unova ones?**

**The one above is official, meaning if you get it correct you can send an OC who will take part in the Johto League once we get there. I have this story outlined pretty much, but if I like an OC enough I'll probably incorporate them early, possibly in Mahogany or Blackthorn. Understand, readers, you have to be the first to send in the right answer in order to win. Even if you guess correctly, you won't be the winner unless you were first and foremost. So, just remember that!**

**As always, leave a review and tell me how the tale is going. I feel that it lacks in description at times, especially compared to other stories on this site. But, now's not the time for me to spill out insecurity issues. Anyway, au revoir, readers!**


	14. You Ain't Nothin But A Houndour! Part 1

**Chapter 14: You Ain't Nothing But A Houndour! Part 1**

**Congrats to Yuki-Judai123 for giving the correct answer first! **

_Sunday, April 3__rd__ 3:53 am_

After a slightly hopeful day of training, I managed to collapse into bed around ten o clock. Bugsy had been surprising helpful, giving Mallory and I tons of advice on how to do training with Bug-types. During a practice battle against Fleur and Mal, Zorro actually obeyed a command, but we never ended the battle since he eventually stalked off to go do something else.

Bugsy was convinced that Zorro was a one of a kind Bug-type, whereas I was convinced that all bug catchers were the same. Still, things were looking up a bit, and I was able to achieve a peaceful sleep, with the prospect of further training the next day. Unfortunately, sleep was only present for about four hours before I felt myself jerk awake to shouts and the endless howls of the gang of annoying Houndour.

"Shut up!" My eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to make out Mallory's form. She was standing in front of the open window, lit up by the moon's shining light. She appeared to be throwing something out the window as the howling went on. "I said, shut up! I'm trying to sleep!"

Wishing to burst into tears from the lack of sleep, I drowsily managed to slip out of bed. I managed to navigate the light switch in the dark, though I nearly tripped over Spykes, who had fallen out of the bed in his sleeping, curled up state. With the light illuminating the room all the way, I stepped over my awakening Cyndaquil, and joined Mallory at the window. She wasn't the only one shouting at the racket, it seemed.

Tsu was occasionally shooting Water Gun out the window, and from the wet puddles I could see from the window, he had close to no effort in hitting the Houndour. Levina was yelling along with Mallory, plus tons of other Pokémon Center tenants were complaining. I could've sworn that I could hear both Arnold and Sam hollering as well.

What really worried me was the fact that I had actually been sleeping through it all. Back home I've always been a heavy sleeper, but gosh! Nearly sleeping through all the racket would be the equivalent to staying asleep through a hurricane.

"Oh, great!" Mallory finally acknowledged my presence with an irritated roll of her eyes. She looked cranky, with her eyes wide open a little too unnaturally, and her green hair was sticking up like straw. For a brief amount of time she turned to face me. "If you're really awake that means we're really making a commotion. I can't believe that this town doesn't have a police station or something." She shrugged, and began to shove pebbles into my fists. "Well, if you're up you might as well help."

"What?" I cried, nearly dropping a rock. I managed to catch it in time, with my tired eyes still on Mallory. "Seriously? Can't we just get some earplugs?"

Mallory responded to this by stomping her bare feet on the wooden floor in the style of a spoiled six year old. "No! I've had enough of this, and so has everyone else, Gwen! We have to take matters into our own hands since apparently the town is about to." She looked as if she were about to say more, but she was quickly interrupted by two piercing howls in the air. "I said, shut up!" Mallory stuck her head out the window, and by the sounds of it she was slowly losing her voice. It was sounding more strained and in need of rest by the minute.

The window was just wide enough for two more people to look out at the same angle as Mal, so I did the same in order to get sight of the noise makers. The dozen of Houndour were situated all throughout Azalea Town, and five of them were perched right outside the Pokémon Center. Through the dim light of the oncoming dawn, I recognized the white chest one amongst the five, along with the speckled one and the largest Houndour of them all. Sam had guessed earlier that that particularly big one was the leader, and that guess was proven to be correct when we saw the same Houndour barking orders, literally.

White chest Houndour and leader Houndour began another round of howls the still pristine white moon, which resulted with more yells and ignored commands. Tsu reacted by hurling another Water Gun out the window, but it was deflected by an odd illuminated shield that surrounded the five main Houndour.

Looking closer, I saw that the protective shield was being projected by one of the two unrecognizable Houndour. I noticed that the two unknowns were abnormally colored; one had a red streak on their back while the other had a blue streak. The shield disappeared, but I felt unsure about it. Could Houndour actually learn moves like Protect?

* * *

_Sunday, April 3__rd__ 1:24 pm_

We all managed to endure the Houndour howls, but the five of us weren't the only ones who insisted on sleeping in. After a hectic, extremely late lunch, Arnold and Mark announced that they were prepared to leave.

"Where are the two of you headed next?" I asked, picking at the crust of my turkey sandwich. "Goldenrod City?"

Mark was the one to reply. "No, not yet, anyway. There's a town called Sunnyvale, located in the middle of Ilex Forest where a Pokémon contest is supposed to be held on Wednesday. I'm after my second ribbon for now, so wish me luck!" He turned his gaze on Mallory, who had been listening to his sentences with interest. "Mal, there will also be a second contest held in the same town next Sunday. They're trying to get rookie coordinators to come in, so I'd suggest that the three of you get there as soon as possible."

"Oh, we sure will!" Mallory exclaimed with ecstatic joy, her fists clenched.

We saw the two Orange Island natives off, a little sad. I mean, it had been pretty cool having experienced trainers around, especially since I learned some pretty neat things from them both. Contests weren't just for stuck up people, and I was curious to see just how they worked.

* * *

_Wednesday, April 6__th__ 11:06 am_

On Tuesday, Mallory and I held one more practice battle with Fleur up against Zorro. The results of this one still ended in a draw and Zorro only obeyed me twice. However, he didn't just stand around stubbornly like he always had in the past. He put effort into battling, and that made me feel more like the accomplished and confident trainer that I was setting out to be.

The next day we headed to the gym for Sam's rematch battle. It was evident just how excited he was, especially since he wasn't afraid to show it. He kept speeding up on our walk to the gym, jogging and running most of the time. He kept both Yoko and Delano out of their Pokéballs in order to get them energized for the upcoming match.

Sam headed in before us while I did my best to drag Mallory in. She was still extremely hesitant about the Bug-types, and she nearly kicked me out of fear when I attempted to lead her in. In the end, all it took was a little help from Zorro to get her cheerleading butt inside the gym and under the shade of one the tall, smooth barked trees.

"You are _so _going to pay, Gwendolyn." Mallory mumbled, leaning close to me so that only my ears heard. She cringed when a Weedle crawled past us, and I patted her shoulder sympathetically. She was extremely silent as Bugsy and Sam prepared for the gym battle, but she eventually spoke as they sent out their Pokémon for the first round. "Why can't he use that Butterfree that you mentioned?"

She was referring to the familiar blue, Bug-type that Bugsy had sent out in response to Sam's Gastly. I took in this opposing Pokémon, and felt fear tighten my stomach into a knot. Unlike Mallory, I wasn't afraid of defenseless Weedle and adorable Wurmple. But like Mallory, I absolutely _hated _Heracross, and that's exactly what Sam would have to face off against.

"Now then, fellow midget challenger," Bugsy began in his usual nasally voice. "You have the first command, as usual. After all, my Heracross won't be unfair to your Ghost-type."He smirked slightly, and placed his hands on his hips as Sam became thoughtful.

I prayed that he would hurry up and get the thing knocked out as quickly as possible, but of course, prayers don't work as quickly as one would hope.

"Delano, do exactly what we've been doing." This confused me, but it didn't seem to confuse the Gastly who chuckled and nodded his eerie floating ball of a body. His purple existence faded away into an invisible state, just like the first gym battle. Sam looked pleased, plus the smirk stamped on his face made me wonder just how tough he could get in battle.

"Keep an eye open, Heracross." Bugsy calmly instructed, his eyes inspecting every inch of the battlefield from afar. "Watch your back, and attack when the Gastly is spotted, okay?" His Heracross responded with a quick nod before becoming extremely serious. This made me want to cower like Mallory, but I kept my cool.

Sam watched with visible glee on his face as both Heracross and Bugsy became confused. For a full two minutes, Delano didn't make a single appearance, and the opponents weren't the only confused ones. However, before three minutes were able to pass, Sam called out a command to his still invisible Pokémon.

"Show off that big tongue of yours, Delano. How about it?"

I still didn't get what was happening, and neither did Bugsy until too late. While Heracross made irritated buzzing sounds, his back was without defense, and that was in a giant, pink wet thing appeared out of nowhere to slide itself right up Heracross' back. With droning sounds, Heracross stumbled with the familiar static of paralysis zigging all over his blue body.

Delano himself appeared as the pink thing retreated into his mouth. I shivered a bit from disgust when I realized that it had been his tongue, and I could feel Mallory digging her fingernails into my arm with fear. She must've had an image of licking a Bug-type or something, but I wasn't about toask something as awkward as that.

"Heracross!" Bugsy cried with concern as his Heracross slowly performed a move with his stiff wings flapping. I recognized it to be Aerial Ace, but the move didn't do too much to Delano in Heracross's slow state. Delano's slightly corporeal form did flicker for a few brief seconds, but it stayed solid looking.

The still pleased and proud Sam was beaming with pride. "This is a tribute to short people everywhere!" He threw his fist in the air in a way that just had to be for comic effect, but it made me want to punch more than laugh. "Delano, one Shadow Ball, if you will!"

"Gas! Gastly!" With one of his maniacal chuckles, he opened his mouth wide. This time around, his tongue didn't loll out. Instead, one orb of dark, confounding energy zipped out and rammed into Heracross's side, throwing the Bug-type to the ground with a whip up of dust. Despite the harsh result, Heracross was still conscious, and struggling to get to his feet.

It might have sounded a little mean, but I was secretly hoping that Heracross had fainted. I didn't wish harm on him, but he was extremely creepy. And the sooner he was gone, then the sooner I could exhale and pry Mallory's trembling hand off my arm.

I kept my eyes on the battle, and my eyes narrowed with confusion at Heracross's struggle on the ground. He wasn't really trying to get up, and a big guy like him should've been able to do something along those lines. Instead, he was rolling around in the dirt ridden grass, confusing me further. It finally hit me what he was doing when he managed to jump to his feet without effort.

"Cross!" Heracross confidently buzzed, no longer under the spell of paralysis. The dirt had somehow cleared away the effects, and now the Bug-type was free to rid the field of pesky ghosts. With his wings flapping, Heracross charged towards Delano, and quick as light, he rammed the Ghost-type with Aerial Ace. It didn't knock him to the ground, but it had effects of its own on Delano.

"Gas?" Delano's form flickered severaly, and whiffs of smoke wavered out of him. Without warning, he slowly floated to rest on the grass where he appeared small in his fainted state. "Gastly…"

Sam still seemed pleased as he returned Delano to his Pokeball. "Delano, awesome job! We'll win this time for sure." He replaced the Pokeball in his hand with Yoko's, and the Doduo was out on the field in seconds. "Yoko, let's begin with a nice darting effect. Put pressure on the beak, please."

Yoko bobbed his twin heads in a nod. In the blink of an eye, he dashed off in Heracross's direction with his beaks powering themselves up for any possible need to attack. Heracross flapped his blue wings and whizzed into the air, hovering several feet above Yoko. While the Fighting/ Bug dual type did this, Yoko dashed around in circles, one head keeping its eyes on Heracross while the other stayed alert and ready to use any move given.

Bugsy was tapping one foot against the grass with a thoughtful expression molded into his childlike face. He tapped the side of his forehead with his fingers a few times, as if he were trying to give off an impression of someone who's deep in thought. Finally, he called out to Heracross. "Okay, Heracross, show your might! Swoop down now, and show off those awesome fists of yours!"

Heracross obeyed, with his yellow eye practically glowing with the prospect of attacking. "Hera! Cross, heracross!" He circled around flying, zipping in Yoko's direction with his fists outstretched and glowing red. "Cross!" He rammed at one of Yoko's heads with a single fist, and managed to collide against it.

"Do!" Yoko managed to pull the injured head out of Heracross's reach, while the other head instantly attacked Heracross with Peck. He then powered up a Fury attack, but he was only able to attack with half of it before Heracross used Brick Break. Yoko staggered a few times, but he wasn't all too hurt from the move. He was stable enough to perform the fast move of Quick Attack, right before Heracross could use Brick Break. "Doduo!"

The attack sent Heracross out of the air and hurling across the battlefield. I gripped Mallory's hand tightly, still scared of Heracross and wondering if he was still conscious. There was dust surrounding him, and once it cleared his buggy blue body could be seen lying the ground. It was obvious that he was in no state to continue battling at all.

A little hesitantly, Bugsy returned Heracross, thanking the Bug-type kindly. "My mighty dual type…" His voice broke off before he finally tossed the next Bug-type out. "Well, fellow midget, you're nearly out of the woods, but not quite yet. Ledyba, stand tough!"

"Ledy…" His aggressive Ledyba appeared on the field, barely two inches in the air. Her white dot-like feet grazed the grass as she narrowed her eyes at Yoko. It was like she was trying to convince him that she was going down fighting, _or _wasn't going down at all. Whichever it was, I felt my stomach calm itself, especially now that Heracross was out of the picture.

Beside me, Mallory had calmed down after Heracross's defeat, and had even released Fleur from her Pokeball so that the Bug-type could watch the battle as well. I already had Spykes out, but I also released Zorro. It would be good for him to pick up tips or something from observation. Of course, that would only be if he could take advice without trying to kill the messenger.

"Yoko, run and use Peck." Sam said in a calm and serious voice, as if he knew just how easy the battle would be.

Yoko obeyed, and managed to jab Ledyba twice. Ledyba retaliated by powering up one of her fists, which she used to use Comet Punch. Yoko was sent flying back to Sam's side of the field, but he hopped to his feet, strong enough to continue. Ledyba flew up into the air and flew straight towards Yoko with yet another Comet Punch, but the Doduo was ready with a decent Fury Attack.

His twin beaks dug into Ledyba, and sent her into the ground, where grass and dirt were stirred up. Ledyba groaned once before finally fainting. On auto pilot, both Mallory and I jumped to our feet to applaud Sam. One of us had finally managed to beat Bugsy, and it felt pretty nice! I watched as Bugsy willingly returned Ledyba to her Pokeball and hurried over to Sam to hand over the Hive badge.

"Congrats, Samuel Wilson," Bugsy congratulated while Mallory and I hurried over. "As Azalea Town gym leader, I'm pleased to hand over the Hive badge. Good use of midget pride, my friend. Show off this badge with similar attitude, and never forget this. Tall ain't all!" After dropping badge into Sam's awaiting hands, Bugsy turned to look at me. "I'm anticipating a decent battle tomorrow, Gwen. Should I also be expecting some pride from your direction as well?"

* * *

_Wednesday, April 6__th__ 2:13 pm_

The rest of the day was spent in the Pokémon Center lounge. All three of us sat around watching TV, out of boredom and out of curiosity. Mark and his Plusle were currently on the television, facing off against a kid and their Vileplume in the Sunnyvale Pokémon contest. Despite there not being much of an advantage, Plusle was hanging on well in battle. It actually looked as if Mark was close to winning.

"Sleep powder, Vileplume!" The opposing trainer called out to his Grass-type who was currently towering over Plusle. Vileplume circled Plusle once before releasing some odd tiny green spores from the top of his reddish head.

Mark was calm and assertive in response. "Deflect it with Discharge!"

"Plus," Plusle hopped into the air, and let out a huge current of electricity which dissolved the Sleep Powder spores quickly into tiny glitters of dust. From what I could see, the move didn't harm Vileplume in any way, yet the move did lower the opponent's health points.

Sam commented before I could. "These contests have such weird rules. Apparently, the whole format just has to do with showing off your Pokémon's prettiness or something. Seems like a waste of time, but I guess it has to do with how you look at it. But even the battle round is all about looking pretty. Then again, maybe one could look at it differently. Perhaps the whole point of it is to show off the move powers, but it just seems pretty showy. Unless of course_"

"Shut up!" Mallory and I hissed in unison, our eyes staying on the TV screen. Both Fleur and Levina were also gazing at the television with interested expressions, which got me thinking a bit. Would it hurt to sign up for a Pokémon contest, just for once?

* * *

_Thursday, April 7__th__ 10:07 am_

Azalea Town might have been overpopulated with Slowpoke yesterday, but it was absolutely crawling with cops the next. This was a huge shock to me as I departed the Pokémon Center, ready to refresh my Pokémon with some more training before the scheduled gym rematch. But, apparently Officer Jenny, armed with squad cars filled to the brim with police officers, was authorized to keep everyone inside for the entire day.

Sam paced around in the Pokémon Center lounge room, his gray eyes staring down at the tile flooring. It was absolutely crowded like crazy with different trainers from all over. A good deal of the kids were comparing Pokémon and gym badges, and showing off to friends. Mallory and I kept ourselves seated, awaiting for any explanation from the police.

Nurse Joy kept looking outside the Pokémon Center, but we all had to wait an hour before Officer Jenny finally entered, flanked by an Arcanine, some old guy, and two fellow officers.

"Oh, my gosh!" Mallory half whispered beside me, her eyes wide and shining as she took the Aracanine's dazzling form in. "He's so gorgeous! I wish I had a Growlithe right about now…"

I rolled my eye at her. Only Mallory would state something like that when we're all so busy trying to figure out other things. In the very middle of the room, Officer Jenny took a stand and cleared her throat, earning the attention of everyone in the room. Everything was silent and still as we waited patiently for her to finally speak and explain.

"All right, listen, everyone," She didn't have to tell us twice. "This town is currently under quarantine, and will probably remain that way until tomorrow. Right at this moment, everyone is this room is a suspect, and we can't afford to have any of you leave."

"You're not making much sense, lady!" One trainer at the back of the room called, earning a few snickers.

Officer Jenny's crimson eyes narrowed in to a serious, business-like way. "Then let me clarify it for you. We just received word from this man right here," she gestured to the old guy with thinning gray hair, who was muttering words under his breath. "That Team Rocket was meddling with the Slowpoke in the Slowpoke Well."

The reaction she received from the room must've been unexpected, because she and her officers looked surprised when the rest of us exchanged confused looks. A couple of kids whispered to each other, but there were no gasps of surprise or shock. Just…confusion and curiosity.

Really, I was just trying to figure out one thing. Who was Team Rocket? I raised my hand high, and Officer Jenny nodded in my direction. I felt a little on the nervous side, since everyone had their eyes on me, but I stayed where I was seated, and voice my question. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, who's Team Rocket?"

Gasps of surprise came, but only from Officer Jenny. "You seriously don't know." I felt even more nervous when she looked me right in the eye, as if I was the one responsible. "None of you know?" There were whispered _no's _and several shaking heads. "Well, Team Rocket is, er, was a crime organization several years ago. They were short lived, really. Plus, the threat that they posed really just involved stolen Pokémon." There were a couple of more snickers that could be heard throughout the room. "However," The sharp use of the word silenced us all. "There were several members of this team who were much more threatening, and they were the ones who wreaked actual havoc."

"Like what?" Sam called out to her.

"Well, they disrupted the homes of legendary Pokémon, causing sightings and disasters in Kanto and various other regions. Over the course of Team Rocket's active five years, we managed to arrest every member, except for their boss, whom to this day is quite the mystery. Moving on, most members have been released due to good behavior, but there are some who have escaped. There are four current members who have that status, and they were four of the best." Officer Jenny took a deep breath and signaled to one of the officers behind her.

The officer, a guy with a dark moustache, handed Officer Jenny two pieces of paper, which she held up for all to see. The papers were large, plus the print was readable for everyone, including the giant photos. From what I could see, it was a regular Wanted poster, and the four escaped members were two men and women.

The first man was a muscular guy with spiky light blond hair and a cold smirk. He was facing the camera, with his thick arms crossed in front of him. In the next photo was the second guy whose hair was long and silvery. His expression was pretty emotionless.

Next up was a woman, whose cold smile sent a shiver down my spine. She had a slim figure, and short, icy blue hair with ends that flipped up. Last of all, was a blonde haired woman, who looked like the type who spent all of her time in front of a mirror. All four members had one thing in common; they didn't seem to really care that they were being carted off to prison. How could someone be that confident in their abilities?

"The men were partners, and escaped close to a month ago. They go by the names of Attila and Hun, and after some research we discovered that those are the real names." Officer Jenny made a face as she said this, but she managed to continue. "The women are sisters, but were also partners in crime during Team Rocket's reign. The two of them go by Annie and Oakley, and both escaped three weeks ago."

"If the two bums with weird names have been missing for a month, why are we just now hearing this?" A kid near the front asked.

Officer Jenny shrugged. "The prison they were being kept in was located in the Tyho region, which is located even farther away than Unova. Not only were the officers there being secretive, but they also just recently told us more than two weeks ago. We've gotten leads, and I'm sure that most of you heard about the explosion in Union Cave. Both Annie and Oakley were spotted seconds before, and at the moment they are thought to be nearby. Furthermore, a citizen of this town, Kurt, discovered several members of TR in Slowpoke Well."

"It's true!" The old guy interrupted Officer Jenny, and began spouting out audible words. "I saw darn Team Rocket with my own eyes!" He was waving his hands in the air like crazy. "This trainer defeated them, really! He's over there!" He pointed his finger towards the rest of us trainers, and that was the cue to turn and look. A dark haired boy stood, leaning against the wall, looking surprised by the attention. "There he is! He saved the Slowpoke!"

"Sir, please calm down." Officer Jenny gently pushed him back, and turned to gaze at the boy. "You there, is this true?"

To me, the boy looked familiar, and a glance at Mallory told me that she was thinking the same thing. He wore a yellow and black cap over his blue-black hair, and he was dressed in a red sweater and black capris. He nodded his head in response, still surprised. "Yes, me and Crocanaw defeated them. The remake's battles are so much better than the original's too. And, defeating them was pretty easy. Man, and this storyline is so much better than the other one." He gazed at all of us in a way that freaked me out. "Plus, these graphics rock."

What the heck? I looked back at Officer Jenny, curious to see her reaction to the boy's weird gabble of words. "Um, okay…" She looked back at Kurt, looking deeply irritated and tired. Seeing her made me thank myself for crossing police officer off of my list of careers back when I was a kid. "Kurt, uh, did this boy appear to be stable when you first met in the well?"

Kurt's face turned tomato red, and the old guy looked offended. "He just saved the Slowpoke, woman! You oughta be thankin him!"

I watched Officer Jenny sigh deeply and turned back to us. I was pretty amused. I mean, we had an old guy, a boy who spoke as if he were playing a revamped video game, and on top of all that, she had to explain a ton of stuff to us. Was it funny to watch her be irritated? Kind of.

"Anyway, we combed Slowpoke Well, but we were unable to capture anyone. However, we found evidence that these people were apparently about to hack the tails of Slowpoke off." Officer Jenny's expression turned from tired to uneasy. "We believe that they planned on either eating their tails or selling them as food."

This time, her comment caused a ruckus of gasps. The very thought made my stomach churn. I wasn't the squeamish type, but thinking about eating Pokémon seemed barbaric. At least two hundred years ago, humans _did _eat Pokémon, and ones like Farfetch'd were hunted nearly into extinction. But, people stopped because artificial meat was discovered in certain kinds of root vegetable.

So, yes, thinking about eating a Seedot or Pidgey was kind of creepy.

When the gasps died down, Officer Jenny finished her talking, with a relieved look on her face. She must've really wanted to get it all over with. "The point is everyone must show us their ID in order to leave, understand?" Everyone nodded in complete synchronization. "All right, any questions?"

The weird kid from before was the only one to raise his hand. "Um, yeah. Can you tell me how I can save my game?"

* * *

_Thursday, April 7__th__ 11:34 am_

It took close to an hour for everyone's Pokédexes to be checked. Our trainer IDs were programmed into them and nearly everything about each of us was printed on it. Our accomplishments, school records, and much more was programmed on there, and I suppose that all of the scrolling around in search of any criminal charges was what took up time. But, nearly all of the trainers were ten year olds, with a couple of thirteen and twelve year olds. How possible could it be that some of us were Team Racket members?

"It's Team Rocket, Gwen." Sam corrected me as we retrieved our Pokédexes from one of the officers. "They're not a band, so racket is out of the question." He grinned as if his statement was clever. I returned it with a glare and a quick face palm.

"Whatever." I muttered as we returned to our seats. My stomach growled with hunger, and I groaned loudly. I was starving, but Nurse Joy was busy speaking to Officer Jenny about the criminal people or something. Her Chansey was currently cooking with the assistance of volunteers, but the whiff of cooking food was torturing me cruelly. I felt lazy on top of that, and said so to Sam as Mallory joined us.

"How are you supposed to keep control of Zorro _and _battle Bugsy in that kind of state?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "Of course, that's only if we can battle Bugsy today. For all we know they're probably going to deny us access into his gym or something."

I sighed, and slouched even more severely on the couch. "Hope not."

Mallory was glancing at the weird kid from earlier as he was given his Pokédex. "That kid's from New Bark Town. His name is Ethan or something, and he used to be in my gymnastics class."

"Did he spout out weird crap then, too?" Sam wanted to know.

"No, Samuel. He was just as normal as you, but he left class a week before we left home. After he hit his head on the balance beam, his parents threatened to sue." Mallory shrugged her shoulders and tore her eyes away from weirdo boy, Ethan. "Anyway, maybe he had a concussion or something."

"Very doubtful, Mal," Sam was now gazing at the front doors of the Pokémon Center in a longing way. "Anyway, forget about Evan. Let's focus on being the first out of here."

I nodded with him in agreement, and prepared myself to make a run for it. However, many people made a run for the front windows of the Pokémon Center, but not to exit or anything. Sam, Mallory, and I joined them as several howls and yells crowded into the air.

* * *

_Thursday, April 7__th__ 11:43 am_

With faces crammed against the glassy, see through windows, every trainer in the Pokémon Center peered out at Azalea Town. I shoved some kid with my elbow as I struggled to look over the heads of a particularly tall guy. Sam was fighting to get in front of the crowd with no results. Mallory, however, managed to snag a spot in a cramped corner, and was quick to drag us to it.

"Look!" She cried, practically shoving her hand in my sight. My hazel eyes followed her pointing finger to the outside, where the usual pack of Houndour was acting crazier than usual. From what I could see, they were launching Ember attacks all over the place, and chasing citizens into their homes. "Have they lost their minds?"

I was confused, and became even more so when the trainers in front pushed their ways out the Pokémon Center doors. From where I stood, I watched these trainers began to assist residents of Azalea Town get home while a few defended themselves against the Houndour. I had been wrong to think that there were only a dozen, because now there had to be at _least _two!

"Hey, stay inside!" I turned my head and saw Officer Jenny trying to desperately take control of the situation, but to no avail. I felt bad for her, but what was I supposed to do? Get a whistle and start calling drills? Soon enough, more kids pushed their ways out to join the action, and the three of us joined them.

Outside, Sam was quick to dart off to defend a woman and her kids from two snarling Houndour. I was proud to see him help her in that brave way with Fisher and Yoko, who fought marvelously. Mallory and I stayed close together as we tried to stay out of the way.

The other officers in Azalea Town were opening the backs of the gray trucks that they had arrived in, and I had a feeling that they planned on loading it to the top with the crazed Houndour. _Good, _I thought to myself as I released Levina from her Pokeball. _At least someone is going to get these Pokémon taken care of, right?_

"Tsu, Water Gun!" Mallory's joyful dancing Totodile sent one Houndour flying in the direction of the trucks. I grinned at her, and she returned it before we had our Pokémon release a double performance of Water Gun and Swift on the other snarling Fire/Dark-types.

After we managed to send one more Houndour over to the trucks, I caught sight of our friend, the white chest Houndour. The moment he saw us everything else seemed to fade into the background. His onyx eyes narrowed and his lips curled up as he snarled and lunged in our direction.

I had been so busy standing, frozen with shock, that Levina had to literally jump in front of me to deflect the Houndour's Bite attack. She knocked him back with a single Low Kick to the jaw, but he was still quick to leap back onto his feet.

"Thanks, Lev." I told her quickly, before pulling her out of the way of an Ember. I nearly stumbled over a pair of jagged stones, but I managed to drag Levina close to Tsu and Mallory. There was no _way _that I was dealing with our enemy alone. Houndour prepared himself to spring and emitted a low growl, which Levina returned with a smirk. Tsu on the other hand gave a joyful, "Dile!"

Like me, it seemed that white chest Houndour didn't plan on fighting us alone either. His growl seemed to gain the attention of the leader Houndour and the white speckled one. All three took stands and growled with their teeth showing.

"Why are they being so aggressive all of a sudden?" I asked Mallory, eying the teeth. "I mean, I'm used to the growling, but not the charging and attacking. And where the heck is Bugsy?"

"Right here!" It was almost as if he had been waiting for me to inquire about him, because the midget gym leader charged from right behind a tall, chestnut tree in the middle of the town, armed with his Heracross and Scyther, Archie. "Heracross, get the big one with Brick Break! Archie, get the spotted one with good, ol False Swipe!"

His bug-types obeyed, but only the spotted one was knocked unconscious from False Swipe. The leader Houndour on the other hand, dodged the attack, and fired Ember. Heracross dodged, and used Brick Break again. This time, leader Houndour was hit, but instead of falling to the ground, his black body began to shine with a bright light. I had only seen evolution occur a couple of times in my life, but I knew for a fact that it was happening again.

When the glowing faded, a lean, muscular black Pokémon with tall legs and a strong back stood in Houndour's place. Houndoom looked so cool I nearly clapped my hands in a sort of applause, but I managed to remind myself something. _We _would be the ones to battle it.

**Now, for the trivia.**

**Q: Which one of these Pokémon evolves into Seviper?**

**Choices: Sableye, Suicune, Arbok**

**I'm very curious to see how many people will manage to find that out, since it's pretty difficult ;) Unlike most previous chapters, the title for this one was actually a little clever, at least to me. And hopefully, now, the action should be rolling smoothly.**

**As always, leave a review. Otherwise, au revoir, readers!**


	15. You Ain't Nothin But A Houndour! Part 2

**Chapter 15: You Ain't Nothin But a Houndour part 2**

_Thursday, April 7__th__ 11:58 am_

"Gr, hound!" The leader of the Houndour pack, now a newly evolved Houndoom, crouched down, ready to spring and attack. I fully expected a charging move such as Bite or Tackle, but instead a burst of flames came in our direction.

Wrapping an arm around Levina's waist, I managed to leap out of the way, and ended up crash landing against the base of a thick, darkening tree. Feeling groggy and dazed, it took me a full two minutes to finally sit up, though Levina had already done so long before me. I couldn't see Mallory anywhere, but Bugsy was still there. His Heracross was still fighting Houndoom with no real luck. Levina was trying to help, and I could see Sam and Fisher being of assistance.

Really, all around battling was going on. The majority of the Houndour pack was in cop custody in the large truck, but the grass and plants of Azalea Town were becoming scorched every minute from stray Ember attacks. There were only about six Houndour left, not counting the evolved Houndoom, the blue and red streaked Houndour, and the white chest Houndour.

Speaking of those Houndour, the blue and red ones weren't in sight while white chest Houndour was currently providing back up for Houndoom. He was causing a good deal of trouble for Levina and Fisher, enough that Levina was finally sent flying in my direction when a single Flame Wheel was delivered. I managed to dive and catch her, but she was definitely worn out.

"Good effort, Levina." I assured my frowning and disappointed looking Elekid before returning her to her Pokeball. With my eyes narrowed in concentration, I tried to figure out which Pokémon to use. Spykes wouldn't stand a chance against Houndour, even if there wouldn't be much of a type disadvantage. But, I couldn't send Zorro out either. He _was _at a disadvantage, plus he probably wouldn't listen to me completely. However, he seemed like the only real choice. I released him from his Pokeball, and watched as he took the scene in. "Zorro, I need your help. Do anything that you want, just as long as it works, okay?"

My Scyther's onyx black eyes narrowed for about a millisecond, before he finally nodded his green mantis-like head. With his long, narrow wings whirring he flew up into the air and landed in front of Houndoom, setting himself as an obstacle between Heracross, Fisher, and the mighty Dark/Fire dual type. I watched as they faced off in combat, three against one. They were managing to fight him, but that Houndoom sure was tough!

Not too far from where I stood, Mallory had finally appeared. Fleur and Tsu were both combining attacks to try and defeat white chest Houndour. They were doing pretty well, with Fleur offering defense with Light Screen while Tsu shot out his usual attack of Water Gun. It seemed that Houndour was slowing growing weak, but he seemed to still have stamina left. Without warning, he shot out a flurry of Ember in all directions.

I managed to dodge a fireball, and I ducked once more when Tsu unleashed a pretty decent Water Gun. Glancing up, I saw that it managed to soak white chest Houndour completely in water, enough that produced large puddles of water all around Houndour. While white chest Houndour was busy shaking water out of his still narrowed eyes, Fleur closed in and managed to deliver a nice Comet Punch.

Houndour let out a roar, and his eyes flew open. "Houndour!" He charged towards Fleur with Bite, but slipped and stumbled several times due to the still present puddles. He collapsed in one, but not for long. I felt pretty useless, ducking for the umpteenth time as Ember was unleashed again.

Mallory was biting her lip, but her blue eyes were still hopeful. Bugsy and Sam were making some progress with Houndoom, especially with the help of Heracross and Fisher. Zorro was actually being of assistance, dodging Flamethrower and slashing with his long scythes. He wasn't producing much damage with Night Slash, but Quick Attack was working. He kept darting in and out of attacks, delivering slashing blows.

All around, chaos was dying down. Not too many Houndour remained, and it seemed that the police officers were actually helping. The trucks held most of the canine like Pokémon, but there were still plenty of trainers stuck in combat.

I dodged yet another Ember by jumping out of the way, and watched as more puddles formed on the grassy floor of Azalea Town, courtesy of Tsu. Someone was bound to slip, and as if by fate, I was the chosen one for that particular predicament. Not only did my clothes become damp, I felt my ankle begin to ache, as if I had twisted it.

I groaned loudly, and basically struggled to my knees. I put a soaked boot forward in order to get to my feet, but I slipped once more onto the grass. Cursing Mallory's hyper Totodile, I groaned more, feeling like a sullen teenager. I could hear Tsu shooting out more Water Gun attacks, but I also could hear another attack coming closer.

Using all of my willpower, I craned my neck and managed to sit up. White chest Houndour must have finally grown bored of long distance Embers, because he was now dashing my way with flamed up fangs. I didn't know whether to scream or to groan, so I did a sort of mixture of both, complete with awkward hand motions.

"Gwen, get out of the way!" If I could I would've snapped at Mallory. Did she actually think that I wanted to get hit? I couldn't move without slipping back into a damp, depressing puddle!

While I waited for the sting of fire, a lean, green body darted right in front of me, and took the full on blow of Fire Fang. I gasped as a single scythe knocked white chest Houndour back towards his original spot before the scythe wielder fell to his green knees in front of me. I gasped again when I recognized my savior to be my own starter.

"Zorro!" I cried, ignoring the pain in my ankle. I grabbed him by the shoulders, and managed to get to my feet, even with my injured limb. Zorro was busy nursing his left arm, which was slightly singed. His dark eyes met my own hazel eyes, and for a minute they stayed that way. Slowly he gave me a half grin, and it took me a second to realize that it was the first time that I had seen him crack a smile of any kind. I returned the smile and patted him on the shoulder lightly. "Thank you, really."

Back to reality, white chest Houndour recovered from Zorro's Slash quickly, and was currently stalking in our direction. After struggling to pull Zorro to his feet (he sure was heavy!) I stood my ground in fornt of him, with my eyes narrowed as I glared at Houndour. He had a high level of endurance, it seemed. What would it take to finally defeat him?

Bugsy and Sam were nearly done with Houndoom who was certainly growing weak, but Houndour was still going. Like the Energizer Lopunny. No attacks could take him down, which got me thinking. Mallory was the only one close enough, and she was already hurrying over with Tsu's Water Gun. Knowing her, she probably wouldn't listen to my suggestion, but I called out to her anyway.

"Mallory, throw a Pokeball!" I called, keeping an eye on the snarling Houndour. "Capture him!"

I glanced over at her to see Mallory shaking her head vigorously. "What? No way! I want a cute and cuddly Growlithe, not some irritating jerk like that thing!" She actually stopped jogging, and simply stood there, hands on her hips.

"Just throw a stinking Pokeball!" She stood there and hesitated, irritating me further. Again, I called out to her in an angry voice. "He's trying to kill us! What are you waiting for? Catch him!"

Tsu fired more Water Gun attacks at Houndour while Mallory still thought over my shouts. I seriously wanted to kick right then and there. But between trying to drag Zorro onto his feet and bracing myself for another Fire Fang, it would be close to impossible. Tsu was currently being thrown around by Houndour, who finally threw him close to us with a single fling.

While all of this was going on, Mallory simply patted the pockets of her shortalls, before shrugging her shoulders. "Oops! I guess I don't have any Pokéballs."

As if by fate, the old guy from earlier, Kurt, wobbled his way over to Mallory from his spot by the Pokémon Center doors. "Scuse me, girl, but did I hear you properly? I'm a Pokeball specialist." He dropped a greenish Pokeball into Mallory's hand, and patted her on the arm, encouragingly. "You go on ahead and catch him."

Mallory gave me a look of despair, before finally hurling the green Pokeball at Houndour. He instantly paused in his stalking walk as the familiar red light of a Pokeball engulfed him completely, right before snatching him into its grasp. With a dull thud, the Pokeball fell into the grass, and shook. I felt my stomach tighten as it shook, before it finally closed itself with a click, the Pokémon within it officially captured.

With slow steps, Mallory made her way to the Pokeball, and picked it up in her hands. Unlike Sam and me, there were no cries of joy at the capture. Instead, all that could be heard from Mallory was a long, drawn out groan.

* * *

_Thursday, April 7__th__ 2:04 pm_

With a few decent Brick Break attacks supplied by Bugsy's Heracross, the remaining Houndour were sent packing into the police trucks. Houndoom was as well, and eventually, the cops left with the wild canines. Fortunately, according to Nurse Joy, my ankle wasn't sprained. Still, I kept an ice pack on it for the remainder of the day, plus Zorro and Levina were healed quickly to their full health.

Unfortunately, Mallory was stuck with white chest Houndour, something that she kept mentioning, as if to remind us all. Still, that was the only real piece of bad news, though something else happened, which was a mix of good and bad to me.

"Here you are fellow midget." While we recovered from the Houndour battles with other trainers in the Pokémon Center, Bugsy showed up. He placed the spotted red circular badge of Azalea Town gym into my hand, and grinned with his hands placed on his tiny waist. "Your second gym badge."

With me sitting on a green armchair, Bugsy was taller than me, so for once, I was looking _up_ at him with a confused look. "I don't get it."

"I'm giving it to you, obviously."

"Huh? But we haven't even battled." I said.

Bugsy simply shrugged. "So? You displayed midget pride when we were fighting the Houndour, Gwen, plus you showed a bond with your Scyther. He saved you, and you stayed by his side loyally. That tells me how your skills as a trainer are, not just battles." He grinned again. "So accept it with pride, and may you be a true midget always."

"Wait! So, we're not battling?" I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice.

"Well, maybe for fun or something, but I'm starting the weekend early. So, I wouldn't be able to until next week. Maybe next time we meet up or something." Bugsy raised an eyebrow at me. "Honestly, the badge is yours whether or not you battle me. Again, take it. And may we meet again."

After sharing a high five for midget pride with Sam, Bugsy departed from the Pokémon Center. I knew better than to assume that he was gone for good. We had a long journey ahead of us, and we were bound to see him again sometime soon.

"So," Sam eyed my disappointed face and Mallory's grumpy pout with a sort of grin. "Tomorrow, shall we conquer Ilex Forest?"

**Next chapter, the well known forest of Johto is obviously set to appear. Only for a couple of chapters though, maybe less. There's no trivia question this time or winner. Reason? Mainly because I've decided to put the whole gig on hiatus for a bit. At least until we reach twenty two chapters or so.**

**However, I'd like to suggest two stories for decent reads. Enigmas: All That Glitters by Alphinia, is an excellent one, so I'd definitely suggest checking it out and leaving a review. Next, I think Braid by JX Valentine is worth a read. It's a great one shot about Ilex Forest, and it should have shivers running down your spines.**

**Anyway, as always leave a review. Au revoir, readers!**


	16. Scuffles of Sorts

**Chapter 16: Scuffles of Sorts**

**Ah, how long has it been? A day? A month? I have no idea, but more than three weeks have passed since my last update. Wow. That's a pet peeve of mine. Never being able to steadily update my story. Honestly, the slower you update the less attention and feedback you'll receive.**

**At least I'm not one of those authors who updates every six months, but I once was…**

**To all who enjoy the trivia questions, I have an announcement. I've decided to quit with the prize of OC submission for the Johto League. Why? Mainly because I don't want this story to change into one of those dumb stories that accepts OCs. I'm seriously tired of those stories, especially since they aren't really earning a decent number of reviews.**

**Whenever I see those stories I note how bad the authors of them usually are. Only five authors have written excellent stories of these kinds, and that's a tiny number compared to the many idiotic tales you see on this site.**

**Another thing, last chapter hardly got any reviewers because of the lack of the chance to submit an OC. Seriously? Those of you who have OC submission stories, you need to accept the fact that people are only reviewing because they want to see their review show up. That's not what writing is about, folks.**

**From now on, the prize will be simple. Get the correct answer, and then **_**you **_**can produce the next trivia question. I'm sorry if this all sounded harsh, but it had to get out there. I'm also sorry if you're a real reviewer who wanted to submit an OC.**

**Anyway, how about we break the awkwardness with an abrupt skip to the chapter, eh?**

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 11:38 am_

"Ah! Get back Farfetch'd!" A disheveled looking young man zipped past us on our way through the never ending greenery of Ilex Forest. Without a single sorry or acknowledging look, he chased the two duck Pokémon that were currently flapping around the grassy, leaf ridden forest floor, crying out to them with no success of any kind. "Please?"

At that moment, another person bumped his way past us. The weirdo kid from the day before, Evan or something, jogged after the man with a brave grin. "I'll help you, lowly Azalea native!" He chased after the pleading guy, and soon disappeared beyond a grouping of tall pine trees.

Sam looked after where weirdo kid had been, and gazed at Mallory and I with a look of disappointment. "Honestly, I'm trying to figure out whose worst off; Evan or the Farfetch'd guy."

"Ethan." Mallory corrected.

Ilex Forest was a rather interesting piece of nature, located right next to the small, Slowpoke nation known as Azalea Town. There wasn't much lighting because of the thick, wide branches of tall trees that blocked out most of the sun, but there was enough to keep Sam sane. Plenty of random sun rays peeped right through the trees, casting random bits of sunlight onto the forest floor.

With two badges under my name I was prepared to face the forest, even with its shadowy corners and mysterious plants. All three of us had strong Pokémon, our bags were stocked with enough food for a couple of days, and if we kept a good schedule we would be in the next town before the Pokémon contest on Sunday. Mallory was acting as impatient as me every time the contest was mention since she was extremely ecstatic for our arrival in Sunnyvale Town.

"I'm fully prepared for the contest," she convinced us as we ducked underneath an odd hanging plant that resembled the branches of a willow tree. "I'll be using Fleur for the battle round, so everything should go well. There are only two issues concerning myself and the contest, really."

"And I'm sure that you're going to nag to us about those two issues." I muttered under my breath.

Mallory stuck her tongue out at me before going on to notify us of her problems. "First, I'm in desperate need of an outfit for the contest. It'll be absurd if I actually go onstage in these month-old overalls." She pulled at one of her shortall straps in distaste. "Plus, I need a Pokémon for the appeal round. So, can I borrow Levina?" With her blue eyes growing big and with her hands clasped together, Mallory truly did have the pleading look down.

"What? To make a bunch of pretty displays?" I asked in disbelief.

"Duh!"

I shook my head. "No way! Levina's a total tomboy." It was true. Levina definitely preferred roughhousing with Fisher and Spykes rather than pick flowers with Fleur and Blossom. Plus, Bug-types and Grass-types seemed to prefer that kind of thing. Even so, Levina wasn't the kind to start making sparkles shine in the air or anything.

"Fine." Mallory turned to Sam next, but he was busy reading through the brochure given out to travelers of Ilex Forest. "Can I borrow Blossom, Samuel?"

"Huh?" Sam's grey eyes quit scanning the forest summary for information and looked up at Mallory with a confused expression. "Wait, borrow Blossom? What for?" It didn't seem as if he had been paying much attention at all to anything that had been said, which was why Mallory had to explain _everything._ "Oh, sure. Go ahead." He said, returning to his guide.

Mallory flashed a bright smile to the entirety of the forest, and silence soon fell onto our little trio as we continued our way out of the forest. We passed Ethan and the young man from earlier, who were both still struggling to catch the Farfetch'd by stepping on sticks or something. We used to rocks that were half our size to climb over a flowing creek. And we managed go through several clearings just littered with sunny spots and surrounded by trees. In other words, we managed to navigate through a good deal of Ilex Forest in little over an hour.

Soon, we stopped for a lunch break underneath the endless shade of a massive tree with rough, but steady trunk. All three of my Pokémon on hand were released, and the others followed suit as bowls were filled with some of our well stocked Pokémon food. As soon as every one of our ten Pokémon munched we humans did the same, unwrapping sandwiches and finally digging in.

"This is the life, guys." Sam said once he was through with his own chicken salad sub. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyelids, hiding his grey eyes from view. "We're on our own, trekking through roads of mystery and mainly doing what we can. This sure beats sitting at stiff desks in a classroom any day."

I silently agreed as I finished my slightly smushed sandwich and sat back to watch the Pokémon. Levina and Blossom were both munching up Pokémon food from the same bowl, while the only other girl Pokémon in our group, Fleur, was eating in a separate one. This was due to the pinkish liquid gel stuff that covered her food like tomato sauce on spaghetti.

Bugsy had gifted both Mallory and I with Dazzle nectar for our respective Bug-types. Fleur and Zorro seemed to really love the stuff, and it seemed to spiff up their speed level in ways that improved their agility a good deal for training.

Mallory, being an athlete and all, was a little hesitant to use the nectar, and she kept comparing it to steroids given to some major track stars. I reassured her that the stuff was harmless, and the containers even stated that the nectar substance was free of caffeine. And, we should always listen to the words on food products, right?

"Products lie all of the time." Mallory said, keeping her eyes on Fleur as she gorged joyfully on her meal. "In other words, if anything happens to Fleur, I'm blaming you first and foremost." I stuck my tongue at her, which she dismissed with a glare.

There was nothing to blame me about since both Fleur and Zorro seemed okay. Fleur was making little happy sounds while she ate while Zorro occasionally glared at nothing in particular, as always. I caught him grinning a few times, so the nectar must've been doing something sufficient for him as well. In fact, Zorro had improved somewhat personality-wise. Oh, yes, he still didn't respect me as a trainer, and he glared whenever I mentioned the word training. But, he was actually doing well. At the moment, we had a worst Pokémon to worry about.

Away from the others and casting mean looks at everyone was Mallory's white chest Houndour who was unnamed at the moment. He was worst than Zorro had ever been! He constantly growled, snarled, and launched Ember in our directions no matter what. All of the other Pokémon seemed to generally dislike him.

Yoko, who had always generally tolerated Zorro's behavior to an extent, was prone to jabbing Houndour in the side with his beaks whenever the canine Fire-type acted out. Levina always assisted him by shocking Houndour into submission while Fleur helped by keeping Blossom and Spykes away. If none of this worked, Tsu just made matters worse by shooting Water Gun after Water Gun at Houndour. Usually, this resulted in a crazy mini war.

Right now as we ate they all just ignore Houndour's snarls. The only one who seemed to like Houndour at all was Delano, who constantly vanished and reappeared at his side to taunt him playfully with his oversized tongue.

"Gas!" Delano wiggled his tongue in front of the currently growling Houndour before vanishing in thin air again. He reappeared behind Houndour, where he stuck his tongue out again towards his unknowing back. After vanishing for the umpteenth time, he appeared next to Sam where he opened his mouth wide, basically pleading for a bit of Sam's sandwich.

"Stop being such a prankster." Sam warned, poking the remains of his sub into his Gastly's mouth. Delano responded by sticking his tongue out again, but he did so in a slight sign of affection this time around.

Meanwhile, I grimaced as Houndour turned back to growl at us all with dripping teeth and narrowed keen eyes. Yoko and Levina were the first to glance up from their meals, both shaping up their main attacking limbs in preparation. Levina thrust her fist mockingly in Houndour's direction while Yoko faked a mime of jabbing with his twin beaks.

If Houndour had glared even more, his eyes would have probably appeared as squinty as Spykes'. He opened his snarling mouth slightly, and permitted a few small flames access to the outside world. The tiny balls of fire, no bigger than my ears, bounced onto the gras leaving slightly scorched marks on the very tips of the blades.

As customary, Tsu dashed away from his and Fisher's shared bowl and quickly extinguished the fire balls with a thick, strong Water Gun. They disappeared out of sight once the dousing was through, and Tsu clapped his hands together before doing a jig out of joy. "Dile!" He must've expected an applause or something, but instead a dark bullet of a Pokémon charged right at him and pinned his slippery blue body to the ground.

"Hound!" The crazy Houndour bellowed right in Tsu's face as the Totodile tried to squirm out of his grasp.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring the sandwich remains that fell to the ground. "Has he gone mad?"

Sam and Delano reacted slower than I did, but Mallory was a bullet of her own as she did a fantastic leap over to the Pokémon and shoved Houndour aside with her foot. Quickly, she scooped Tsu up in her arms, and managed a flip away from the furious looking Houndour.

Now, Mallory is an excellent athlete. Four years of perfect attendance to a gymnastics class ensures that, and she can generally do more than the standard cartwheels. But, with Tsu excitedly trying to take aim with Water Gun and with a snarling Houndour on her tail, it was pretty darn hard to be perfectly straight and graceful with your escape somersaults, especially with her hands full and with her space crowded with small Pokémon and bowls crammed with food.

She managed to arch her back with Tsu in her arms, but she slipped on his puddle of water from earlier and instead ended up stumbling into a roll that early sent her and her Totodile flying into a thickening cluster of scraggly seeming bushes.

"Ledy!" Fortunately, Fleur made it to them before this was the outcome. With quick use of her dark spotted wings, she grabbed hold of Mallory around the waist and flew a couple of feet in the air before setting her trainer on the grass next to me. "Ba!"

While I pulled the slightly dazed athlete to her feet, action took place for the Pokémon. Fleur zipped straight back to the crime scene to pull the weak links, Blossom and Spykes, to safety whilst did everything else in a crazy choreographed way. It looked almost organized and planned!

First, Fisher hopped up and stunned Houndour back with decent stream of water to the face, stopping him before he was able to unleash a round of Ember. Next, Levina and Yoko rushed forward to pin Houndour into the grass, using the buoyancy of their main attacking parts. Houndour squirmed all the while, looking ready to get all crazy with Ember again. Much to my surprise, my dear Scyther prevented this.

I stood frozen with my eyes glued on Zorro as he weaved several blades of grass in his scythes quickly, and produced a long string of knotted grass. With a quick whirring motion that I failed to follow, Zorro circled Houndour's snout with the grass and tied it shut.

"Whoa." I heard Sam murmur quietly when all three fighting Pokémon stepped away. Houndour remained, attempting to squirm his snout free from the binds. It was no use, and I couldn't help but applaud silently in my mind. Sam went along with me for once, nodding his head in a confirmation that he agreed wholeheartedly.

Grass stains streaking her blinding white pair of shortalls and arched downwards eyebrows looked frightening on Mallory, especially with her lips forming an angry, furious look that made me jump out of her way. She strode right over to the writhing Fire-type and pointed the green Pokeball from Kurt in his direction, muttering all the while. "Stupid dog! Can't even compete against a loveable Growlithe! Oh, so help me, Arceus, I will…"

Did people really mutter to themselves when they're beyond furious and help? I asked myself that very thing while Mallory began pacing around with her arms crossed and with a permanent glare on her face. With that personality she was scarcely recognizable, and I could even deem her as OOC, _whatever_ that meant. Aaron always used to call people on cartoons that, and usually, he knew how to use words and terms.

"She's officially lost it," I decided, musing to myself. Apparently it wasn't all to myself, since the aforementioned generally-cheerful-and-friendly-gymnast was whirring in my direction, her fists balled. "Did I say that out loud?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. Whether my trembling voice was from fear or laughter was hard to tell.

While Mallory did look perfectly frightening in her state of rage, she also looked positively ridiculous. She had a cowlip for one thing, possibly obtained during the earlier riot of sorts. Her clothing was stained. Her pride was probably ruined, and overall, the expressions she was giving and her angry ranting mutters were slightly hilarious.

Did I have much time to laugh and get it over with? Not at all!

Being chased by a cheerleader is even worse than being chased by a gang of Beedrill. I was glad that my family couldn't see me dashing as fast as my short legs could carry me while Mallory chased with her fists flying.

Past a few of the Pokémon we went, where Delano was busy imitating Levina's shocked look. Past the tree where our luggage stood we went, where Sam shook his head at us with his usual disapproval. Past a stunned Blossom and Spykes we went, and I soon found myself growing tired from running in complete circles. The only defense close enough was Zorro, so I dove behind him and prayed for safety.

"How about being awesome and protecting me, Z?" I asked, flashing a bright smile. "Remember how you got in the way of the Ember attack?"

Zorro simply scoffed and shrugged, as if to say _you're on your own._

The "loyal" bug zipped away as my only cover and I soon found myself running again, this time away from the totally-not-helping friend known as Sam and the should-be-helping Pokémon. I was aware that a few of the Pokémon were following after us with speed, but how quickly could they get to us before Mallory finished reviving me so that she could slaughter me a second time for kicks?

"Gwendolyn, get back here!" Why did people always yell that while chasing someone? Did they really expect an "_Okay!" _answer? It wasn't the time to question the unavoidable, so I simply ignored my rushed breathing and pounding heart. "Gwendolyn!"

I stumbled into a clearing where sunlight filtered the air greatly. Wishing for the ability to absorb sunlight like the green warrior on Colin's favorite TV show, I basked in it and helplessly slumped onto my bottom.

Breathing hard, I prepared myself for a slow death, or at least a stern yelling. I was aware of Mallory hurrying into the clearing, breathing a lot too. What did that matter though? As an athlete and a temporary crazy person she was immune to exhaustion, right?

I also found myself aware of playful sounds coming from behind me. Tired, but curious, I turned my head and saw a cute sight to behold. Atop an apple tree a few feet away, two small Pokémon were chasing each other on the branches in a game that resembled tag or something. One of the Pokémon resembled a yellow mouse while the other was like a pink balloon found in parades. Both were adorable, I found myself wishing that I could identify them quickly.

"Ugh, Jigglypuff."Seemed like we had a moment of truce for the time being. Mallory knelt down next to me and frowned at the balloon Pokémon. "They're not as cute as they all say."

"What do you have against them?" I asked, hoping that her violent chasing would be forgotten and not continued. While awaiting an answer I managed to identify the yellow mouse as a Pichu.

"They're fat! What's not to be against?"

I forgot that I was trying to make her forget how much she hated me at the moment. "Oh, so you're fatophobic now? Or obesephobic?"

Mallory wrinkled her nose and pointed her frown towards me. "You're doing a lousy job atmaking me not want to kill you, midget."

"Oh Arceus, no!" I feigned a dramatic air by throwing my arms into the air. "Has thy boy known as Bugsy deceived thee? For I am equal, not in height but in thy soul!"

"Whatever, Macbeth."Mallory rolled her eyes. "Anyway, duh! If I'm going to be a Pokéathlete, I'll need a team of agile Pokémon. Jigglypuff won't cut it. And, who wants to be fat?"

"They can fly!" I said right when the pink cream puff floated lightly above her Pichu companion. "That's neat, right?"

"I don't need more than one flyer."

"Well, whatever!" I looked down at my short legs and arms with disdain. We seemed to be discussing insecurities or something, so I might as well contribute! "I hate being smaller than everyone, and I hate being reminded of it. I hate being nervous about every battle I face, and I hate being shadowed by Aaron's sparkling personality. I mean, no it's not siblingitis, but come on! He's handsome, tall, funny, and cocky. Meanwhile, I'm small, sullen, and sarcasm isn't always accepted."

"Wow, you're not cocky?" Mallory's eyes were surprised. "Excuse me for seeming rude but you're the most hot headed person ever, second only to Sam. You boss people around for one thing like a little lawyer, plus you give horrible advice and you claim that it's good advice. Why do I have this stupid Houndour? Because you advised slash forced me too with a random old guy who makes Pokéballs." Mallory shrugged indifferently. "Anyway ,you can be confident, Gwen. You found Sam in Union Cave, right?"

"Not before Arnold." I reminded.

"Whatever! The point is, you're doing okay, Gwen. We're only ten. You've got four years to get a growth spurt before you're actually an official midget. At Bugsy's rate he'll always have the pride." She smirked, pleased with herself. The confidence soon faded and she was soon looking glum. "At least you're not me. It's taken me forever to leave the crossroads of destiny, and I still don't really know what to do. Am I actually a coordinator? Will I do well in Pokeathlons? So much doubt!" She beat the ground with her fists, frustrated. "You might have confusing traits and a short body, but you're at least doing _something _on this journey."

"What would that be?"

"You're trying to impress your brother, I know it!" Her smirk returned, but departed just as quickly. "And, I'm not trying to impress anyone. I mean, look at me! I have a dancing starter, a Ledyba that hates battling, and a dog that hates me. How great is that? I need a break!" She bent her head forward and froze for dramatic purposes.

I sympathetically patted her on the shoulder and tried to think of something comforting to say. She wasn't trying to kill me after all! However, the sound of something hard clashing against grass made me look up. Across from us, away from the frolicking Pichu and Jigglypuff, was an odd herd of light brown Pokémon with antlers.

"Stantler?" I asked aloud, taking in the half dozen Pokémon that were currently looking at us each with curiosity. I figured that we were in their grazing spot of the forest or something, and it would probably be the best idea to move. But for some reason, I couldn't. My hazel eyes were glued on the odd patterns of these Normal-type Pokémon, and I felt relaxed as I continued staring.

I'm not sure what happened next, because as I took in the design, the pattern, I felt my mid go numb and everything blacked out.

* * *

Duh, duh, duh! Cliffhanger! I think…

**This chapter was supposed to be more than twice as long. Unfortunately, I've been extremely stressed lately with life. One of my family's dogs died a couple of weeks ago, I've had writer's block, and I have like tons of things to do for school. It's pretty ridiculous, but c'est la vie!**

**All right, so here's a question that could be considered as a poll.**

**Q: If you give your main Pokémon OC a starter, how long does it take for them to evolve?In other words, if your OC's a trainer, around what gym battle or something?**

**Anyway, leave a review if possible. Au revoir, and may there be a speedy update!**


	17. Blame it on the Stantler Part 1

**Chapter 17: Blame it on the Stantler Part 1**

_Friday, April 8__th__ 2:42 pm_

Small, I felt small. That was the first thing I noticed when I woke up, blinking as the sun's hot, bright beams hit my eyes and made my vision blurry. It took me awhile to figure out just how small I was as I stood up and tried to regain focus.

"What…happened?" I asked in a voice that sounded mysteriously high pitched. I was still in Ilex Forest by the looks of it, but no one else was in sight. No Mallory, no Stantler, no cute playing Pokémon. No nothing in other words. And on top of that, I felt delirious. "Huh?"

I began walking, very unsteady at first. I gasped though when I felt my bare feet hitting the warm grass blades. I glanced down, and gasped again when I saw how short my body was, and how teensy my feet were. Plus, they were _yellow._ Not yellow, like "oh, I stepped in egg yolk". It was more like, "those aren't my feet!" yellow.

"What?" I found myself running through the forest, with my mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Was I dreaming? What? Why am I so tiny? Where's Mallory? Where's a freaking mirror? I couldn't think straight, there was a tight pre-vomit feeling in my currently small also yellow stomach, I had a severe headache, and I was turning yellow! Oh, what was my life coming to? I didn't know! And there I was scurrying around like a Torchic who just got spooked by its own shadow. "I need help!" I cried once more as I dashed under the dangling soft leaves of a willow tree.

"No need to shout. I'm trying to sleep!"

I froze and turned in the direction of the sudden voice, allowing my eyes the courtesy to scan the surrounding area for the speaker. Maybe they could help me? Or, maybe they were murderers, cranky ones! But, the only thing present was a drowsy looking Hoothoot that stood perched on the branch of a stumpy tree thick with Oran berries.

I groaned, and I would've continued running if the Hoothoot hadn't opened its beak wide to make a sound that made me scream. "What's up with you, kid?"

"Y-you j-just…" My sentence broke off as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. I looked down at my hands and felt myself growing faint when I saw that they were yellow as well. And, they looked a heck of a lot like paws…"I…"

"What a weird Pichu," Hoothoot shook his feathery brown head at me with a look of irritation. His crimson eyes looked droopy and were constantly closing and opening. But, words were also coming out of his mouth, unlike the general chattering of specie names. As I struggled to speak the Hoothoot went on to chuckle. "What's up with you, kid? Delcatty got your tongue?"

"You can talk." I whispered, looking at him with utter disbelief. I've heard of Psychic-types that can speak with their minds, but Hoothoot weren't Psychic-types, were they? They had to be, I decided. But, I was still yellow and I had _paws. _How could _that _be answered? "I'm yellow, and you can talk."

"Yeah, so can you!"His eyes widened and he looked pleasantly angry. "What? You think that having a famous evolution makes you special or something, kid? Humans might find you cute, but I'll tell you something," he hopped into a flight and landed right in front of me, teetering slightly on his one foot. This Hoothoot was taller than me, another thing to add to the growing list of problems and complaints. "I'm a cutie, too! Que escuche?" With each word he ruffled his heather brown feathers, and he was looking plumper by the minute.

"Uh, sure…" I backed up, putting my paws up defensively. "Listen, I just need to find a river or something. I'm a little confused…"

Hoothoot glared and furiously ruffled his feathers again. "What kind of forest Pokémon are you? Everyone knows that willow trees are around water." He gestured to beyond the Oran berry tree with a wing. "The river's that way, kid. I'm already up, so might as well show you the way. I'm not about to have Celebi on my tail for letting you drown in your confusion." With his beak held high with pride, he began hopping on his lone foot in the gestured direction. Still confused, I followed after him.

I kept my eyes on my yellow paws, but I glanced up at the Hoothoot occasionally. I was so confused that I was actually following a talking Hoothoot. Where was Mallory? Where were the Stantler? Why the heck did I have so many questions that might as well have been rhetorical?

"I need to find a mirror." My shorter-than-usual body stepped over fallen leaves with small, yellow feet. If I hadn't felt so worn out I might've freaked some more, but I was really just eager for the river. I needed a drink, and the water could hopefully provide a makeshift mirror too. "Are we close?"

"Yes!" Hoothoot hopped forward and I followed. A snaking line of bright blue appeared in front of us, and I hurriedly scurried to it. "Wait up!"

At the water's edge I glanced downwards, hoping to see my face unscathed and fine. Instead, a small yellow face appeared, looking worn out and confused. It wasn't simply my face with yellow paint or anything. It was _a completely _different face, looking up at me. I vaguely recognized its features; small pink spots on cheeks, pointy black tipped ears, small compact body. Yep, I was a Pichu.

It was pretty confusing as to what happened next. I was screaming my head off first, but then I felt myself sink to the floor, only to awaken a few minutes later.

"You okay, kid?" Hoothoot fanned me with his brown wings and helped me to my small feet. "I may not like your species, but even I know that you're in need of help. You totally just fainted. What? Just realized how sickeningly adorable you are?" He chuckled at his own joke, but I didn't see anything hilarious about it.

"Okay, I'm not a Pichu!" I screeched in an annoyingly squeaky, high voice.

"You're right. You're right." I lit up, expecting that the Hoothoot could help. Of course, his next words were another disappointment. "You're a Raikou, huh?"

I glared which probably didn't look like much in my current physical form. "Listen, my name is Gwendolyn Jenkins. I'm human. I've been turned into a Pichu and I don't know how. Can you help me?" I put my tiny hands on my even tinier waist and looked at the Flying-type squarely. "Please?"

"I'm supposed to believe you?" Hoothoot looked at me in disbelief.

"Please?" I screeched once more. "I need to find my friend, Mallory. I'm not a Pichu! I'm human! I met up with some Stantler and now I'm a Pokémon! I need help!"

"Yes, psychiatric help!" He had another chuckle going, irritating me even more. If I were still human I would probably have to be restrained from wringing his nonexistent neck. Hoothoot's expression suddenly stopped being comical, and changed to realization. I felt my heart pound harder. "Wait, did you say something about Stantler?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes!"

"Oh man…" Hoothoot ruffled his feathers and sighed. "The Stantler of Ilex Forest are unique amongst other Stantler. They've gained interesting powers over the years. Switching people's bodies is one of them. They do it for fun and to teach people some things. All in all, you've got to find them to get switched back." Hoothoot shrugged. "Anyway, good luck, kid." He turned away from me and the river and began hopping back towards his resting tree.

"What?" I scurried after him with my tiny legs, wishing desperately for my much longer legs. "You're just going to leave me here? I need your help!"

"Too bad." Hoothoot muttered indifferently. He spread his wings out and prepared to take flight.

I decided to try moving the same way I had seen the Pichu do earlier. They seemed to use their front paws for running. I placed both paws onto the soft grass, and without a single pause I scurried again, with four legs this time. I was faster than ever, dashing through the grass. With a single leap, I went through the air and grabbed onto Hoothoot's visible leg before he was six feet off the air.

"Hey!" Hoothoot began to flap up wildly with me clinging for dear life! "Get off!"

I glanced downwards and immediately wished that I hadn't. We were as high up as the trees now! "Are you crazy? I'll die!"

Hoothoot swerved to the right, hoping to throw me off most likely. "Get off you stupid Pichu! I mean, human! Your own fault for messing with the Stantler!"

"How was I supposed to know!" I heard a crackling sound, like the snap of electricity. It reminded me of Levina whenever she uses Shock Wave. It took a full minute of hanging on for me to realize that it was my cheeks. "Help me or I'll electrocute you!" I couldn't believe that I was actually threatening a talking Hoothoot.

"Are _you _crazy?" Hoothoot soared downwards, flapping like crazy to stay airborne. "If I get hit, I'll go down and so will you."

"I won't get damaged, just this Pichu body." I tried to concentrate on the power I now had. How did Pokémon make their attacks work? Did all come naturally? Could anyone do it? My cheeks were crackling with energy, but how could I harness it into an actual attack? I tried focusing on it enough with the anger and confusion that I still felt. The crackling grew louder and I could actually feel static running through me.

"Wait!" Hoothoot began screeching frantically, and I soon felt us both flying back to the ground. "Wait! Wait! Don't fire! I'll help!" He glided downwards and finally solid ground appeared close to us. Unfortunately, Hoothoot's fear made his landing klutzy, so we were both sent rolling through the grass.

Fortunately, I only felt bruised as I picked myself up. Nothing too major. Testing my present yellow paws, I dusted myself off and glanced over at Hoothoot. "So, where do the Stantler usually hang out, Hoothoot?"

"My name is Sir Edwin, if you must know, pesky human." Hoothoot glared ferociously at me, and ruffled his feather haughtily. "You humans can't tell Pokémon apart, can you? Just pathetic!" He shook his head in disapproval before ruffling his feathers for the umpteenth time. "I don't know where the Stantler are, unfortunately. They wander around in herds, looking for humans that need to learn a thing or two."

"Okay then. Can you help me find my friend, Mallory? She has green hair, looks like an athlete, and stuff."

"If she was with you she'll probably be a Pokémon as well. What other Pokémon was nearby when you encountered the Stantler?"

"Um, well there was a Pichu," Obviously, "And, something pink and fat…Jigglypuff! Oh no, Mallory hates Jigglypuff!"

Sir Edwin heaved a sigh and shook his head at me. "You're all pesky. I might need to get help for this fiasco." He shook his head and ruffled his feathers once more.

Suddenly, a familiar scream entered our surroundings. It was a girl no doubt, and it sounded surprisingly like Mallory except she sounded as if she were holding her breath or something.

"Mallory!" I called out towards the screaming, and anxiously began scurrying in its direction.

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 3:08 pm_

"Wait up, pesky human!"

I scurried fast, faster than I ever could've ran in my human body. Mallory's screaming was getting closer, which made me go as fast as possible. My cheeks crackled with electricity, and I passed numerous shady trees. Finally, I came to a clearing that ended on a high peaked cliff. Up ahead, was a fallen tree that hung over the cliff hazardously. Clinging to the tree and about to float off into the air was a Jigglypuff.

"Mallory?" I approached her cautiously.

The Jigglypuff looked in my direction with big cerulean eyes, and its mouth opened to speak. "You, Pichu! Help!"

Sir Edwin appeared beside me, and I found predicting his next words to be easy. "Pesky humans.

"I'll save you, Mallory!" I scurried once more to the base of the fallen tree which clung snugly by half of its roots to the end of the cliff. Gravel was falling off the high peak, and it seemed that Mallory's Jigglypuff body was threatening to float off. Jigglypuff did fly after all. "Hang on!"

"Gwen?" Mallory gave me a look of disbelief while I carefully climbed onto the tree. I was doing this partly to save her and partly to show off. It's not every day that you get the hang of cool Pokémon powers. I nodded to her before walking closer on two legs, keeping myself steady by clinging to the trunk with one paw. "You're a Pichu!"

"Obviously!" I remarked, grinning slightly. "And, you're fat!"

Mallory glared, which was pretty amusing in her Jigglypuff form. "Not funny!"

I was getting closer to her now, with one foot cautiously moving in front of the other. The bark of the tree was growing rough in my paws though, but I kept my grip firm. I was nearing her, but her hold on the top tree branches appeared to be slipping. "Don't let go!"

"Right!" She looked scared, and I felt the same way. I looked down at what awaited anyone who fell and saw a huge lake, crystal clear and pretty. It sure wouldn't be pretty with people falling in it and drowning. And who knew what Pokémon lurked beneath its pretty waters? "Hurry, please!"

The lake leered at me menacingly, making me feel horrid. I couldn't swim at all, in Pichu form or human form. I never swam, _ever. _Ever since I was a little kid, I feared water and the risk of being near it. And, here I was trying to save my best friend. I gulped down my fear, and hoped for the best. I forced myself to not look at the water before I began my trek towards Mal again.

"Right!" I stepped onto a branch in front of me, only for it to break through. I screamed loudly as my feet hung in mid air. I kept my paws clamped onto the tree trunk, but I could feel them slipping. "Ah! Eddie, help!"

Sir Edwin ruffled his feathers and glared. "Pesky human! My name isn't Eddie! If you want my help, call me by my proper name."

"What? I can't think straight when I'm about to fall!" My paws were slipping, slowly, but surely.

"I'm slipping!" I glanced over my tiny shoulder at Mallory who truly was about to lose her hold on the branch. Her pink paws were so small, and her pink Jigglypuff body was bursting with air. Her eyes were ginormous, and I feared the worst. The worst happened when a huge gust of wind made her final grip come loose. "Ah!"

A flash of cream wool and blue feet zipped past me. Whatever it was had perfect balance on the tree, and was at Mallory's aid at an instant. I recognized the Pokémon to be a Mareep, who quickly extended a long yellow and black striped tail in Mallory's direction. Mallory grabbed for dear life and clung to tail as she was pulled away from the air. Like a real balloon, Mallory bobbed in the air while the Mareep lead her off the cliff and onto solid ground.

I breathed a sigh of relief right before a huge creaking sound made itself pronounced. The tree began leaning downwards, with me still clinging! It was about to fall, I was a Pichu, and I was going to die.

"Sir Edwin, help!" I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the feeling of water all around. I was going to die for sure. To my surprise, I felt myself being grabbed by the scruff by something. I opened my eyes and found myself flying, with the help of an irritated, crazy Hoothoot of course.

"Pesky human." He mumbled before setting me onto the grass beside the helpful Mareep and worn out Mallory.

"Mallory!" I wrapped my stubby Pichu arms around her fat pink body before giving up all together. Hugging her as a Jigglypuff wasn't working, so I simply patted as sympathetically as possible. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, but I'm fat." She frowned severely, before sighing. I mirrored what she did next since we both turned to the newcomer. "Thanks a bunch for saving me."

"I'm glad to help!" The Mareep grinned at us both. "I'm Marie the Mareep!"

I can see that, I thought to myself sarcastically. Out loud, I asked, "Well, Marie, do you know where the Stantler are?"

"The herd of Stantler?" Marie nodded her head. "Yep, I do! They wander around all the time! But, usually they'll stay near humans." She turned her gaze on Mallory and her smile turned all enthusiastic and joyful. "I overheard you ranting about being fat and Pokeathlons."

"You were ranting about being fat?" I raised a Pichu eyebrow at her, but I wasn't _too _surprised.

Mallory had no shame. "Yes I was."

"I want to be in Pokeathlons!" Marie the random, convenient Mareep declared. "I want to show my speed to the world! My stamina, my skill! Power, jump!" She hopped up and down like a Spoink on sugar high. "Do you have a Pokéathlete trainer?"

"Uh no… I am a trainer."

Marie the Mareep didn't look too surprised. "Oh, the Stantler, huh? They do that often."

"So I've heard." I muttered under my breath.

"But, are you a Pokéathlete?"

Mallory nodded her head. "Yep, an aspiring one, really."

Marie let out a squeal of joy. "Oh my gosh! I have to come with you! I'll help you find the Stantler, but _please _I need to see them with my own eyes!"

"You're certainly hyper." I mumbled again. I turned to Mallory. "Do we really need another Tsu? You've already got a hyper Pokémon and a Houndour that hates you. That's a ton of responsibility, Mal."

"I'll worry about when I'm human again. Right now I'm cranky and fat." Mallory smiled sincerely at Marie. "Certainly, Marie. You'll be an excellent addition to my team of athletes."

"Can we please go now, pesky humans?" Sir Edwin glared at us all before doing a predictable ruffling of feathers.

"Of course, pesky Hoothoot," I retorted, smirking.

Before anyone moved a muscle however, I heard the sound of wings flapping. I glanced over to see about six Butterfree gliding into the clearing lightly flapping their bright white wings.

"Oh, Butterfree! They might know where the Stantler are!"

I prepared my usual Pichu scurrying, but Sir Edwin hopped into my way. "Are you nuts? Ilex Forest Butterfree are the most aggressive things ever! You can't reason with them, you pesky human!" To make himself clear he ruffled his feathers once more, and twitched his beak.

"What do you mean aggressive?" I asked, glancing over him to peer at the butterfly Pokémon. "Like Beedrill?"

"Beedrill aren't even aggressive, just protective. Don't make assumptions, pesky human." He once again ruffled his feathers and turned to glare at the Butterfree flock. "No eye contact. They're touchy things and the slightest thing bugs them. Let's go!" He flapped his wings and led the way around the Butterfree. A little hesitant at first, I eventually followed Sir Edwin, and I heard both Mallory and Marie behind me.

What awaited us was unknown for certain.

* * *

I really didn't want to make this a two part chapter thing, but honestly, I have to. Another late update nonetheless, though the next chapter should come much sooner.

**All right, no trivia or personal question this time around, but there should definitely be one next chapter. As always leave a nice little review with constructive criticism if possible.**

**Au revoir, readers!**


	18. Blame it on the Stantler Part 2

**Chapter 18: Blame it on the Stantler part 2**

* * *

Friday, April 8_th__ 3:21 pm_

While being stuck in the body of a Pichu had plenty of perks, there were also several cons colliding with everything. Sprinting on all fours made me feel as if I was flying, but actual walking on two feet was a slow, tedious pastime. Stumpy Pichu paws just weren't meant for speed… And while my small dot of a nose could surprisingly inhale deep wafts of flowers and sweet aromas, they also picked up the scent of a nearby Grimer that slunk past our little group as we continually trudged through Ilex Forest.

"Being a Pokémon stinks!" I declared in my ridiculous squeak of a voice. With a pair of useless yellow paws, I covered my nose in an effort to stop the horrid stench in the air. This pretty much failed, and I simply had to settle with breathing through my mouth while I followed after Sir Edwin. "Everything's inconvenient!"

"You're telling me!" I turned my head to look at Mallory who was busy glaring, pouting, and bobbing up and down in a very Jigglypuff way. I stifled a chuckle, especially since I wasn't about to be running from her in her current flying balloon state. And, really, the whole play-tag-with-Mallory ordeal was what got us stuck in this situation to begin with. Still, none of this stopped Mallory's expression from being amusing. "I can't stop floating!"

Even from behind, I still spotted the customary ruffling of feathers on Sir Edwin's part. His wings and soft down seemed to literally shudder downwards and relax immediately before he actually opened his snide beak to respond to our ongoing complaints. "Being among humans must be just as difficult, especially if you two were around! Do you agree, Marie?"

Marie, the ever so joyful Mareep, skipped next to me on a pair of steady paws that I glared at enviously. "I wouldn't mind being human actually. I would be so much more athletic with two human legs rather than four Mareep ones."

Feeling a little amused by her comment, I decided to begin walking on all fours once more. "Two legs, bad! Four legs, good!" I crowed with a forced tone of happiness before pawing at Sir Edwin's wing. "Tag! You're it!" Without looking back, I sprinted onwards with nice agile Pichu action.

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 4:10 pm_

Good thing about being a Pichu? My ears were as sensitive and keen as a Zubat's sonar rays in a dusky cave. With black tipped ears perked up straight, I could make out the sound of a young _human _kid talking nearby. A young human kid who sounded a heck of a lot like my good friend, Sam.

And, speaking of that devil of sorts (ha!), the blond short guy appeared, walking underneath a tree with Yoko and Zorro following after him. Yoko had our bags strapped onto his agile back while Zorro was looking all about the place with his menacing eyes. How was it that Sam could get Zorro to help out more than me, his actual trainer?

"Sam!" Like the balloon that she was, Mallory bobbled past me in her Jigglypuff body, but she stopped right in front of me abruptly. "He won't be able to help us."

"What do you mean?" I asked, putting my Pichu paws on my hips.

Mallory gave me a smug look, as if I were supposed to know why. "On TV whenever people turn into Pokémon they always have a hard time communicating to their human friends. Lost in translation much, Gwen?" She eyed Sam with distinct irritation, which was again comical in her bubblegum-pink creampuff form. "We're on our own."

I sighed. "Seriously? But, why?"

"Chatting away in Pokémon speech?" The two of us, tiny Pichu and fat Jigglypuff, looked up at our English-speaking human traveling partner, who was currently looking down at us with a casual smile. IT was such a shame that he wouldn't understand what we had been chatting about. "Have either of you little guys seen two girls? One's short and the other has green hair. Sound familiar?"

"No, duh, Samuel!" Mallory huffed, bobbing up and down grumpily.

I stared up at Sam with black pebble eyes, hoping to somehow communicate mentally. MY eyes met his serious grey ones, and I willed him to understand what I couldn't say. People sometimes said that really close friends could always get each other without words. But, Sam and I must've not ever been close friends, cause the darn midget simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Where could those girls be?" For such a mature guy Sam was starting to irritate the crap out of me.

A new voice, one that reminded me of a knife, spoke up, "Maybe they were snatched up by some Fearow."

Surprised, I looked past Sam at Zorro, who sure enough was speaking.

Next to him, a serious looking Yoko spoke as well with his left head, "You shouldn't wish that upon your own trainer, Zorro. It's not kind or gentlemanly."

Zorro shrugged his sharp shoulders in that familiar Scyther way. "I was simply suggesting, _Dad. _Besides, the little midget hardly respects me anyway. Why give her respect if I don't receive any? All of that reverse psychology crap! _Zorro, you must not be very fast! Zorro, how about helping me out here?_" His imitation of my voice was so pathetic that it kind of ticked me off.

"That is so not true!" I shrieked in that horrid Pichu voice. "You don't listen to me at all! Reverse stuff is the only thing that works! And, my voice _does not_ sound like that!"

Both Zorro and Yoko looked down upon me with surprise, and their dark eyes eventually went wide with recognition.

"Midget?"

"Gwen?" Yoko kicked at the ground with his feet, while his right head spoke. "You're…a Pichu?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" To my right, Mallory bobbed up and down with appreciation. "We were turned into Pokémon by some psycho Stantler! Help us!"

"Why?" Zorro scoffed nastily, eying both of us with distaste.

I glared at him irritably. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Zorro shrugged. "I don't hate you. The person I hate is that cocky brother of yours. You're just an inexperienced kid who doesn't know a decent Pokémon when they see one. You've improved, I guess. But, I don't follow orders. I go by my own rules."

"Could you puh-lease just help us out?" Mallory questioned with her bright blue Jigglypuff eyes wide. "Do any of your rules say anything about that?"

"Guess not…"

"Of course," Yoko's left head began the sentence, though his right one finished, "We'll help!"

The hope that I felt was interrupted when other Pokémon dashed from behind in different ways. Fleur and Delano conveniently flew to Sam's side, Fisher and Tsu waddled, while everyone else pretty much dashed. Everyone's Pokémon was here, with the only one absent being Mallory's Houndour.

"We found them, boss!" All joyful, cheerful, and sickeningly adorable, Blossom began pointing in a direction with the big leaf on her head while crying out to Sam in a chirpy voice. "We found the girls! Aren't you proud of my heroic efforts?"

Delano, hovering by Sam's side, snickered. "Heroic? My dear Blossom, Spykes was the one to find them in that nearby clearing."

"Whatever!" Blossom glared in a still adorable way before chirping some more. "They're doing weird things, boss! They're crawling around and making weird sounds!"

Sam was completely unaware of everything really conversed. He sure did seem ignorant in my eyes, and I saw the smart guy in a slightly new light. "You guys found them both? Gwen _and _Mallory?"

"Yes, yes!" Blossom was so eager to please Sam. I couldn't help but groan with annoyance. "Come on, boss! Come on!" With teeny little Chikorita footsteps, she led the way. Only Sam, Fisher, and Delano followed, however.

Levina, who stood next to Spykes and Tsu, looked at us both curiously. Her mouth was stretched into a thoughtful line, and her eyes were rather deep in thought. Finally, in a youthful, strong feminine voice, she spoke, "Gwen? Is that you?"

More surprise washed right over me. "How did you know?"

She shrugged slowly. "Just a feeling I had."

"Me too!" In an adorable chirpy voice that was slightly deeper than Blossom's, Spykes let his presence be known. "I had a feeling that it was you! Where were you?" Out of nowhere, my sweet little Cyndaquil tackled me with a hug that made me fall to the ground. As a Pichu I was only an inch taller than him, so his weight was a lot. "I missed you…"

I felt Levina pat me on the head lightly. "I did too. What happened?"

"They were turned into Pokémon obviously," The smug knife-like voice of Zorro totally ruined the happy snappy Hallmark moment, and made it an irritating "what happened" session. "They didn't explain how though."

"They were turned into Pokémon by the Ilex Forest Stantler." Up until this point I had completely forgotten about Marie and Sir Edwin, but I saw them both standing nearby as soon Spykes released me from the hug. Sir Edwin ruffled his feathers in that familiar way while Marie smiled at everyone. "Are you Mallory's Pokémon?"

Tsu, who has a slightly obnoxious, enthusiastic voice replied. "Just the Ledyba and me! I'm Tsu, short for _Tsunami!" _He did a tiny jig before repeating his full name musically. He then danced his way to Mallory before wrapping his blue arms around her fat, pink body for a hug. "Good to see ya, Mal!" He could barely wrap his arms around her, but he managed.

Fleur, the ever so gentle Ledyba, cleared her throat and talked in a serene voice that pretty much mirrored her personality. "Now that we've hugged and made introductions of sorts, would it be possible to perhaps find these Stantler?"

Sir Edwin didn't ruffle his feathers for once, but he did smugly respond. "We really should follow that blond human. IF we find their human bodies, we may also find the Stantler."

"And I'll be captured!" Marie hopped up in an overly enthusiastic way.

"Sweet! A new teammate!" Marie was tackled with a hug by Tsu.

"Okay…" I sighed openly and stretched out my Pichu paws. "We need to hurry."

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 4:23 pm_

Nestled between Levina's prong-like ears, I enjoyed the ride through Ilex Forest. Fleur and Yoko were in the lead, flying with strong cherry-red wings and scuttling with long, slim legs. Marie walked alongside Tsu who was close behind them, clutching Mallory's Jigglypuff foot in one hand to keep her from floating off. She, of course, resembled a pink balloon without a string. And, besides Levina and I was Zorro with Spykes clinging to his arm playfully.

"Carry me, Zorro?" Spykes didn't let himself be shaken off, and I admired his determination. And his superb adorable looks. His squinty eyes and sweet smile tried their best to win the frowning Zorro over. "Please?"

Zorro grunted, with his dark eyes narrowed in a way that failed to really scare anyone. "Fine, kid." Surprisingly for me, he gently pushed Spykes onto his shoulder with the flat base of his scythe. Beaming, Spykes hung on to the back of Zorro's head while the Scyther took long strides next to us. He met my eyes, and groaned. "What? I can be nice!"

"Right, right…" I recalled when Zorro saved me from the crazy Houndour leader back in Azalea Town. Coupled with his determination and tough battling antics, I could definitely call him an excellent Pokémon to have around.

Flapping his wings to stay in the air, Sir Edwin ruffled his feathers slightly and nodded towards me. "Just so you know, Pichu, I'm not going with you after we get you and the Jigglypuff human again. Marie might, but I'm not."

"Fine with me," I assured him.

"Good!" Snooty as ever, Sir Edwin jabbed his beak in my direction before flying ahead to chat with Yoko. "So, how do you manage not being able to fly?"

"Well, how do you manage hopping on one foot?" Yoko asked, just as casually.

Eventually, are larger Pokémon group arrived in a very familiar clearing, already crowded with people. Well, there were only three human people, whereas the other three were Pokémon. Though two of the three humans were acting very odd…

The smaller human was a brunette with a very short body. She was obviously female with a sprinkle of freckles across her face and a purple outfit cladding her tiny, slim figure. The other human, another girl, had grassy green hair pulled into a wind tousled braid. Her white shortalls were patched in dust, and her figure was tall. Both seemed like normal girls, if you could overlook their actions. While the small one was crawling on all fours like a rapid Poochyena, the tall one was bobbing her head and jumping up and down like a Teddiursa on sugar high.

It took me a full two minutes to realize that I was looking at myself, in human form.

"Oh sweet Arceus." I scurried off of Levina and dashed to get a better look. My human body was acting like a Pokémon really, and I looked pretty pathetic. So did Mallory's human self. Meanwhile, I caught a glimpse of Sam who was busy with his Pokégear.

"Still no signal!" his voice was high pitched and he looked really concerned. I have never seen him look so selfless before, but there he was, looking at our crazy human bodies with pity. "What happened to you guys?"

Blossom sat at his heels loyally. When she caught sight of us, her scarlet eyes perked up. "Yoko! You're smart! What's going on with them?"

Yoko's twin heads bobbed simultaneously before he responded. "Nothing, little Blossom. They're ill, I'm afraid."

"Oh…"

"That's a complete understatement." Levina regarded Yoko with a sharp look. "They've completely switched bodies. I'm thinking, the Pichu and Jigglypuff might be in Gwen and Mallory's human bodies respectively right now."

I was more than surprised by Levina's insightful observation, but I felt proud nonetheless. But, knowing the issue wasn't going to solve it. Spykes beat me to stating that little fact. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Well, we can't decide on empty stomachs, right?" Tsu casually patted his blue stomach.

Still floating slightly, Mallory rapped him lightly on the head. "How would you eat in a time like this? I need my body back! That stupid Jigglypuff is completely ruining it!"

"Calm down," Fleur urged, serenely. "We'll figure this out, trainer."

Yoko's twin heads nodded at the exact same time. "Of course!"

Sir Edwin's cry of alarm earned everyone's attention. He wasn't ruffling his feathers for once, but he was hopping up and down in a very hyper, manic way. "The Stantler! Over there!" He jabbed a wing towards a pair of shrubs behind Sam and Blossom. Sure enough, a herd of Stantler stood, slightly concealed. "Hurry, pesky humans!" The Hoothoot led the way to the Stantler with Mallory and I not daring to stop dashing.

"You guys are horrid!" Mallory belted out with a grumpy sneer on her face. The Stantler all stared at her, amused. "What's the big idea?"

"We were bored." The tallest of all the Illusion Pokémon spoke in an irritating flat voice.

I felt like sweat dropping…seriously. "Say, what?"

"We were bored." He repeated.

"That's the dumbest thing I've heard!" Mallory sounded hysterical for certain. "Change us back!"

"Might as well…" Stantler leader guy nodded his head to his comrades. "I'm amused enough for today. How about, you all?" The rest of the herd nodded in unison. "Fine. Be that it may, your bodies will be switched.

"That easy? We don't have to battle you or something?" Even as I questioned them I felt my voice falter and my vision went fuzzy. Soon, everything went black.

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 8:29 pm_

I awoke with a major headache that attacked my brain severely. To make matters better, I wasn't laying on the ground in the forest. Instead, I lay on a soft bed with pristine white sheets in an even more pristine room. Slowly, with a hand on my aching forehead, I sat up, and gasped with joy when I saw my short human legs and human hands intact.

"I'm me again!" I shouted without a care in the world. I eagerly stretched my legs out, glad to be rid of the stumpy Pichu ones. Happy and full of energy, I hopped out of the bed and stretched my arms out just as excitedly. Once the stretching craze was through, I actually focused on my surroundings. "Okay, where am I?"

"The Sunnyvale Pokémon Center," I glanced over at Mallory who sat on a twin, white sheeted bed, back in her human body as well. She casually patted her green hair, as if to relish its presence. Her blue eyes beamed at me. "We were changed back. Great, huh?"

I nodded in agreement. "Heck, yeah!"

The wooden door of the room creaked open out of nowhere, revealing six Pokémon who all bustled in. Levina smiled brightly at me before getting my waist with a friendly hug. Zorro, on the other hand, smirked at me before seating himself on one of the beds while Spykes hopped right in my arms, eyes full of joy.

"Cynda!" I squeezed him close while he began jabbering away in his Pokémon speech. "Cyndaquil!"

Across the room, Mallory was getting smothered with hugs as well. Tsu was hopping all about like the weirdo he was while Fleur simply hugged Mallory. Marie the Mareep was snuggled close on Mallory's lap, slightly surprising me.

"Wait, so you caught her?" I asked, setting Spykes on my own lap.

Mallory nodded, smiling widely. "Yeah, I sure did! According to Sam, she followed these paramedics he contacted when they got us to the Pokémon Center." With a quick hand, she smoothed out Marie's fluffy curls, though they only bounced up wildly again. "She'll be an excellent Pokémon! Don't you agree?"

"Much better than that Houndour of yours…"

* * *

_Friday, April 8__th__ 9:12 pm_

Long story short, it seemed that Sam didn't believe one word about the Stantler or the Pokémon transformation ordeal. He was thoroughly convinced that we had simply gone nuts in Ilex Forest, nothing else. He didn't even believe us even when the Nurse Joy of Sunnyvale confirmed that we spoke the truth.

"That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard," Shaking his head vigorously, Sam frowned at both of us while we ate a dinner of pizza and ice cream in the Pokémon Center cafeteria. "Talking Stantler? People turning into Pokémon? A pompous Hoothoot? Forget it!" He took a greedy swig of soda before jabbing a look in Mallory's direction. "Oh, and you were a Jigglypuff, right? You guys are insane."

"Oh, shut up, Sam!" Mallory screeched in-between massive bites of pizza.

I sighed in-between gobbling up chocolate ice cream before throwing a glare at Sam. "It's the truth! How do you explain Marie's presence? Or the fact that Nurse Joy believes us?"

Sam simply shrugged and regarded me with an eye roll. "She obviously feels sorry for you both, so she decided to go with your story. Sorry, I'm not stupid."

"You certainly were when we trying to get your help when we were still Pokémon!"

"Whatever. The only way we'll get a fat Mallory is if she keeps stuffing her face like this." Sam gestured to her pizza eating, earning a deserved glare from her.

Tired and confused, I stood up and retired to the Pokémon Center lobby. I gazed out the open bay window there, eying the trees and bushes that decorated most of Sunnyvale Town. It was certainly dark outside, with the sky being a dusky periwinkle-blue with ominous gray clouds swirling all about. The perfect scene for a suspense thriller, complete with a Hoothoot staring at me suspiciously from a nearby tree.

"Sir Edwin?" I asked in a cautious voice. I kept my voice low and quiet, in case any of the other trainers heard me. My best friend already thought I was crazy. I didn't need complete strangers to agree with him.

The Hoothoot stared back at me, and lightly cocked his head to the side. Slowly, his feathers shuddered upwards, displaying the feather ruffling that I was now very familiar with. "Hoot!"

I smiled; glad to know that it really all happened.

* * *

Ah, finally! Another update in! Took long enough, huh?

**Anyway, as always, leave a review when you get the chance. I'm totally back to regular updating for this story, now that exam month is done with. Plus, summer vacation is right around the corner, sort of.**

**Au revoir, readers!**


	19. Gwen, Sam, Mallory, and the Brat

**Chapter 19: Gwen, Sam, Mallory and the Addition of a Brat**

**Pokémon: **Gwen: Cyndaquil (Spykes), Elekid (Levina), Scyther (Zorro)/ Sam: Chikorita (Blossom), Doduo (Yoko), Poliwag (Fisher), Gastly (Delano)/ Mallory: Totodile (Tsu), Ledyba (Fleur), Mareep (Marie), Houndour (unnamed)

_Saturday, April 9__th__ 12:24 pm_

"What do you mean, the contest has been canceled?" Slender arms flailing wildly in the air, Mallory shrieked at a volume that made my ears cringe with irritation. Finally, my crazy friend thrusted her arms to her side with fists clenched tightly. "You have got to be kidding me! I did not just turn into a Jigglypuff and brave Ilex Forest to find this out!"

The helpful woman who stood before us, a tall one with curvy orange hair, simply smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry to break the news to you. Unfortunately, a well known model and PokéStylist will be showcasing some work here, and a Pokémon contest would most definitely ruin the advertisement for that."

"What PokéStylist?" I asked before Mallory could begin fuming once more.

"Claudia Bloomwood, the fashion extraordinaire. She's launching a brand new clothing line. Tons of excitement for that!" The orange haired woman beamed overenthusiastically, confirming my thought that she was just like every other crazy fashion designer fan. Next to me, Mallory continued frowning severely, which crazy fan noticed. "But, I'm also rather disappointed by the contest cancellation. Being the MC and all kind of forces that, obviously. But, we have tons of contests coming up in Goldenrod!"

Mallory simply gave her an unenthusiastic thumbs up sign. "Yippee for that."

* * *

_Saturday, April 9__th__ 12:35 pm_

"I'm probably going to end up getting this Bloomwood woman's autograph." Mallory confided to me while we trained on the outskirts of Sunnyvale Town. "She's a fan of this kind of stuff."

I glanced up from Pokédex, which I had been leafing through observantly for the past ten minutes, making up strategies and such for upcoming battles. "Who's she? Your mom?" When she nodded, I gave a sigh in agreement. "Yeah, my mom reads her fashion magazines and stuff. She'll probably interrogate me if I don't her an autograph or something." I shrugged, simple as that. "Until then, let's train like we mean it!"

On the ground beside me, Spykes gave an agreeing yip. "Cynda!"

"Elekid!" Levina gave a standard fist pump in my general direction, showing off loyal signs of true encouragement.

Of course, the only one not doing a single thing just _had _to be Zorro, who grunted quietly and glared at the floor. Mallory's Pokémon were mainly cheerful. Fleur was bussing cheerfully, as always, while Marie was acting fairly enthusiastic in her chattering Pokémon speech. And, it was pretty normal for Tsu to be dancing around and throwing Water Gun all over the place. In fact, the only one being a major pain (even more than Zorro) was Mallory's Houndour.

Across the field, in the dank shadows of a shady elm tree, he sulked like an escaped convict, glaring at us all with a frustrated, disturbing look of fury.

"Can't you return him to his Pokeball?" I asked Mallory, quietly. "He's freaking me out with those glares!"

Mallory, surprisingly, shook her head. "As much as I'd like to, it seems pretty cruel to do so. As annoying and creepy as he is, he needs fresh air and exercise daily." She bent forward and began fluffing up Marie's curls.

"Does sulking like an emo guy count as exercise?"

Looking as irritated as a hormone ridden teenager, Mallory chose to ignore me entirely.

I stuck my tongue at her turned away back before scooping up Spykes. "Come on, you guys. Let's go train with Sam. At least he doesn't have a homicidal Fire-type." I hurried away with Spykes in my arms and Levina and Zorro in tow.

…

_Saturday, April 9__th__ 12:42 pm_

"Ah, Gwen!" Standing tall in a small, sunny clearing, Sam flashed a proud grin at my arrival. He appeared to have a smallish yellow Pokémon cradled in his arms, which must've been the source of his newly founded pride. "Look what little guy I caught!" He held the Pokémon out in my direction, grinning from ear to ear. "Isn't he adorable?"

I gave the yellow snake-like creature an earnest look. "What _is _he?"

"A Dunsparce," Sam held it close and pat it several times on the head. "I just caught it a minute ago. Really easy thing to do just had to fling a Pokeball once, and bam! It's captured!" He continued petting the Dunsparce fondly, still grinning more than usual.

My eyes narrowed as I kept them settled on Sam, studying his expression. "You're certainly in a good mood."

"Obviously," Sam held Dunsparce out again in my direction. "Scan him with your Pokédex."

I unenthusiastically pulled my Pokédex from my shirt pocket's grasp, and directed it towards the small Normal-type Pokémon. "Okay…Dunsparce digs holes…wow! So exciting!" I used a voice laced with pure sarcasm, earning an annoyed scowl from Sam. "And, it can fly! Woo hoo!"

"Check its moves, Gwendolyn." Sam hissed in a voice that emphasized his sudden loss of the smilies.

"Fine, fine…" My hazel glanced at the move set equipped for Sam's Dunsparce's info, and my eyes widened just a bit. "Not bad at all. Dig, Defense Curl, Hidden Power, and Yawn. Hidden Power and Dig are definitely useful." I read further, and felt the ends of my mouth curl up into a smile. "Uh, Sam, he's actually a _she._"

"Huh?" Sam gave me a look of disbelief, though he eventually nodded. "Well, it's not like I'm immediately checking the genders of my Pokémon like some perv, Gwen. Anyway, how about a nice battle?"

"With who?" Blossom was way too busy basking in the surrounding sunlight, with a peaceful smile on her face. Fisher was busy wading around in the nearby pond with his tail thrashing, while Delano busied himself by sticking his tongue out at his reflection in the water's surface. Yoko, on the other hand, had both heads preoccupied. While his right one picked absently at random blades of grass, the other one pecked repeatedly into the smooth, thin bark of a super skinny, bony tree. In other words, no one seemed very available for a battle.

Despite this evidence, Sam still gave me a pointed look. "With my Dunsparce. Duh!"

"Fine, fine…"

Eventually, I got myself settled several feet away from Sam and his latest capture. Zorro and Levina both took spots under a tree while Spykes stood strong in front of me as my battle Pokémon for the moment. Meanwhile, Sam's Dunsparce did the exact opposite, and simply lay still, looking at everything with dull squinted eyes.

"Dunsparce?" she asked in a dull, phlegmatic tone. She sounded…bored, dull, drawling, monotonous, any-other-word-to-describe-boredom. And she simply lay there on a bit of craggy earth, doing nothing but emanating flat, lifeless energy that made me yawn greatly.

Spykes was also staring oddly at Dunsparce, looking both amazed and curious. "Cynda?"

"It's fine, Spykes." I stuffed my hands deep into the stuffy quarters of my pockets, eying the dull Dunsparce with slight disappointment. "Do you want the first move, Sam?" I wasn't too surprised when he shook his head, knowing how proud he could get. "Alright, then. Spykes, deliver a single Ember, please." I didn't put much energy or enthusiasm into the words, not really seeing the point of it.

Spykes nodded his adorable head and shot out one ball of fire in the squirmy Normal-type's direction. "Cynda…" Zero hype from my little Fire-type as well. Go figure.

The fireball whizzed at a rather normal, regular pace towards Sam's Dunsparce, who eyed it with an unsurprising dull expression in a pair of boring squinty eyes. Behind her, Sam also looked at the fireball, completely unnerved. But, I caught the single traces of a trickster look wash over his thoughtful gray eyes. I knew that look _too _well.

"Dusty, fly!" A smirk spread across his small face, and hand rose to snap his fingers in a commanding, cocky way.

"Dun?" in a very non threatening voice, Dusty the female Dunsparce spoke. I was unperturbed until the little snaky thing darted right out of the way, missing the fire by an inch. Tiny wings on her back seemed to be flying, keeping Dusty airborne. Sure, she was only a few feet above the ground, but she possessed the ability to fly nonetheless.

My eyes went wide at this revelation. Here I was assuming that the wings were nothing but decoration. Of course, as the saying went, I was wrong.

"Now, Dusty, Dig hard and fast!" With motions that appeared to be sharper than normal, Sam narrowed his gray eyes and gestured with his hands during his quick command. Light blond hair ruffling slightly in a sudden breeze, Sam appeared tense, but in an actual I'm-ready-to-kick-butt mode; not his usual I'm-a-sugar-high-eight-year-old way.

Again, I was surprised when Dusty the Dunsparce began to spinning her pointy little tail fast and hard before burrowing into the ground faster than an airborne Fearow. And, she emerged from a gravely hole and rammed Spykes hard faster than I could shout out a useless, "Dodge!"

"Cynda!" Spykes fell backwards, shaking his head furiously to overcome a dazed state. He directed a very grumpy frown at Dusty, one that clarified any thoughts that I had earlier. Like his helpless trainer, my little Cyndaquil had assumed that a simple Dunsparce would be an easy picking in a battle. I'm sure he thought the wings were just décor too…

"Uh, Ember!" Trying to maintain _some _confidence in my voice, I shouted out an attack.

As guessed, the move was quickly deflected by Defense Curl. With the non-décor wings keeping Dusty steadily above ground, she was able to roll her tail up to her chest in a defensive stance, making her resemble a buggy, yellow cinnamon roll with wings. Ember was useless in other words.

"Again, Dig!"

"Watch out for the attack, Spykes!"

Spykes gave me a confirmed nod, and kept his squinty eyes on the ground. Barely a second later, a spot of ground began shaking behind him, and Spykes turned his attention onto it while I clenched my fists tight. The shaking stopped, and out of nowhere, Dusty came flying out of hole right behind Spykes's exposed back.

"Behind you!" I cried this out, still confident, but the smirk on Sam's face was a sign that confidence was shattered.

Turning around was definitely what he wanted since Dusty immediately dropped onto Spykes head, hanging on by latching her tail under his chin.

"Cynda!" Spykes dashed all about while Dusty kept a really decent hold for a Pokémon that lacked arms.

Meanwhile, I lacked patience, and I soon found myself digging my nails into the palms of my hand while I simultaneously dug my heel into the dirt. "Headbutt! Hurry!"

Even with the shaking going on, Spykes had enough sense to listen to me. He jerked his head upwards abruptly, surprising Dusty into finally giving in and falling onto the ground. Unfortunately, she really wasn't harmed, and she simply kept an irritating blank look on Spykes and me.

"Why not try yawning?" Sam called, still smiling.

I glared at him, trying to figure out the trick behind this one. Before I could dully put my mind to it, Dusty earned an exasperated gasp when she suddenly opened a gaping mouth, separating her blue chin from her upper yellow area of the face. Her mouth was nearly as huge as a Pelliper! An exaggeration yes, but I felt as if I were being sucked in.

I wasn't. Instead, a ball of puffy cloud-like smoke shot out slowly and engulfed a confused Spykes. Next thing I know, he was curled up on the battlefield, fast asleep. And, not a moment too late, Dusty stopped moving and resumed a weird lying on the ground sort of sit.

Frowning, I retrieved my Cyndaquil and glanced up at Sam. In a slow monotonous voice, I said, "Good job."

"Dunsparce digs holes," Sam grinned at me in-between horribly mimicking my voice. "Amazing!" Sam stooped forward and scooped up Dusty before patting her proudly on the head. "This was our very first battle against each other, you know. We've always just teamed up for doubles."

Before I could respond to that actual revelation a slightly shrill, very girly voice piped up from Sunnyvale Town's general direction. "Are you both Pokémon trainers?" I quickly turned around at a girl who stood behind me, cradling a Sunkern right in the brightly lit sun. Long, really wavy honey-blonde hair hung past her shoulders and shined in the sun while the girl's green eyes were scrutinizing us. I noted her tall physique, along with the designer clothing that she was clad in. I also noted the way she took in my wavy golden-brown hair, which grazed my shoulders and seemed a little on the shaggy side. She was even staring at my dust ridden with a look of confusion. "Are you able to bathe often on the road?"

"W-what?" I stammered, holding a snoozing Spykes close. "What do you mean?"

"Your clothes are…dusty and worn out." Her eye crinkled with a look I recognized as pity. "Do Pokémon trainers struggle to afford clothes? Poor you! And, I guess hairbrushes are hard to come by, huh?" Her eyebrows crowded together while she continued her weird pity fest. "I'm sorry."

My mouth was in flycatcher mode, and my eyes were just as wide open. I glanced back at Sam who looked deeply amused. He met my eyes and simply shrugged before glancing back at blonde girl with a fairly amused expression. His mouth was twisted up, as if he was stifling a grin or laugh.

"Don't worry!" Hugging her Sunkern especially tight, blondie cried out in a determined voice. "My name is Julie Bloomwood, and my mom has money to help you out in your current financial crisis, okay?"

Finally, my mouth seemed to have retrieved the God given ability to form words. "We're not in a financial crisis. We have excellent hygiene, thank you very much. We have money. We have access to brushes. And, lastly, we're on the road seventy five percent of the time! We're supposed to be worn out!" I managed to keep my eyes from glaring _too_ angrily, but it had very little effect.

The blondie, Julie or whatever looked slightly taken aback with her eyes wide. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I don't mean to offend! I don't really talk to trainers often. What were your names again?"

I was about to explain that we had no intention of giving our identities, but the little midget behind me spoke up first, to do the complete opposite. "I'm Sam Wilson, and the mad little brunette is Gwen Jenkins. We're well groomed, economically stable trainers. How about you, Julie?"

"No, I don't like sleeping outdoors." Balancing her Sunkern in one arm, Julie began picking at her nails like some prissy little rich girl. "I'm totally due for a mani soon."

"A what?" I asked.

"A mani; you know, a manicure?" Julie went back to maintaining a pity look. "I guess traveling keeps you from getting manicures often, huh? I feel sorry for you, Jen." Pity soon vanished and Julie was now beaming with pure joy. "My mom wanted me to find Pokémon trainers for her, so you two can totally come with me." She began walking in the town's direction, motioning for us to follow her.

"Who's Jen?" Sam asked, grinning at me.

I aimed a kick at him, but conveniently missed.

* * *

"Mother! I've brought two trainers!" Julie burst through the shiny glass doors of a fancy hotel, with no regard for our questions. Her Sunkern hopped happily at her feet, doing pretty well for something leg and armless. "They're small, but I think they may be just what you wanted."

An elaborate lobby was spread out before us, completely decked out with frilly lampshades and overly expensive imported armchairs. The carpet was ornate, and the few people seated were fashionably dressed in the latest Gucci crap. Basically, a stereotypical rich people scene; something that I couldn't quit staring at.

I had to quit staring when Sam sharply nudged me in the ribs. "It's not polite to gawk, Jen." He gave me a smirk, enraging me even more. I would punched his little face, but I was not about to do that in a room full of witnesses. Especially not rich witnesses.

"Trainers?" My attention went to the blonde haired woman who was now standing up. She had a shiny purse dangling from her manicured hand and a Houndoom stood loyally by her side. She was definitely pretty, and looked a lot like Julie, though there was also something very familiar about her. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance." She politely extended an arm which I quickly shook.

"Uh, yeah…" Why were we here in the first place?

Blonde woman glanced at Julie with a very firm gaze. "You explained why I needed them, correct?"

"Huh?" Looking very bored, Julie looked up from her fingernails, which it seemed that she had been carefully inspecting. I decided that she really was a total priss. "Was I supposed to explain something to them?"

Blonde woman gave an irritated sigh, giving me the impression that Julie was usually this dim. "Julie, you know the plan." A smile quickly replaced the frown as she looked me right in the eye with a pair of bright green irises. "Okay, so my daughter, Julie, is ten, and has been for nearly a week now. She has made no sign of traveling, which I hope you can help me with."

"Well, we can't force her to travel." Sam muttered from beside me.

"Obviously," blonde woman rolled her eyes, and glanced again at her daughter who had returned to doing something very unproductive; only this time she was counting the credit cards in her bright pink wallet, flaunting them around like medals. "But, it would honestly be great if I could work out some sort of plan with the two of you." She looked us up and down, knowledgably. "Though, we didn't have a proper introduction. Your names?"

"I'm Sam Wilson, and she's Gwendolyn Jenkins." Just like earlier, Sam was speaking for me, being very quick to give our names to these two rich folk.

"I'm Claudia Bloomwood; stylist and renowned model." I gave a small gasp of recognition once her words processed before she went on. "Now, again, Julie was spoiled rotten by her father, as you can probably tell. I'd love for her to learn some independence, and the meaning of hard work. She's lazy, spoiled, and pampered, and I would love if some trainers could let her travel with them for awhile." Finishing the monologue, she gazed at the two of us. "Could you two be those trainers?"

I wanted to shout out a loud "No way in heck!", but being the ventriloquist that he was, Sam spoke for the two of us. "It's definitely something that we could do…"

Claudia excitedly clapped her hands together. "Great! Now, I'll be having a gig going on in Ecruteak City in three months' time. Get Julie there by that time, and teach her the trainer basics along the way. I'll gladly pay you both a great deal for this, honest." Claudia stood up to her full height, which was pretty darn tall. "Julie, hurry upstairs and pack your bags please. I need to make a few phonecalls." Surprisingly quick in her pair of sharp heels, Claudia exited the lobby, leaving me astounded.

"Say, Jen?" I looked over at Julie who looked just as confused as I felt. "What's going on?"

What did Sam just get us into?

**It took me forever to update. Blame school…**

**But, now that it's summer, I'll have plenty of time to update and return PMs to my heart's content. Woo hoo!**

**I will not have a trivia question this time around, but I definitely will in the next chapter. R & R, people! And, H.A.G.S!**


	20. A New Task At Hand

**Chapter 20: A New Task At Hand **

_Sunday, April 11__th__ 10:09 pm_

Superbly surprisingly; being saddled with a rich blonde brat had a few huge benefits that were very hard to ignore or overlook. Claudia Bloomwood provided us with a bit of payment up front, and I can go ahead and admit that the woman was not a cheapskate, nor was she afraid to be true to her very word. Plus, we were provided with a ride to Goldenrod City in a big luxurious bus, owned by Ms. Bloomwood.

After one whole day of nonstop driving, we made it to the booming metropolis, where the trouble really began.

* * *

_Monday, April 11__th__ 10:34 pm_

Tired and prepared for a good night's rest, the four of us young kids stumbled off the bus. The Pokémon Center, in all of its hospitable glory, loomed before us helpfully. It provided a very hopeful beacon in the dead of night, especially with us being surrounded by dank, frightening skyscrapers that seemed to be trying to intimidate us. Maybe it was just my paranoia talking…though I thought ten was a little too young to be getting seriously _paranoid_.

"I'm so s-sleepy." Heaving an enormous yawn whilst rubbing her eyes precariously, Julie the brat managed a sleepy smile. "I can't wait to climb into my hot pink canopy bed. When is my mother picking me up?" she turned her head to look at me, eyes wide with apprehension. "Wren?"

"Gwen," I corrected, balancing a dozy Spykes. I blew a few strands of my choppy side bangs out of my eyes, though it was mighty difficult without an empty hand. "Anyway, your mom isn't picking you up, Julie. Remember what we told you on the bus? You know, how you're traveling with us? How we're going to teach you the basics?"

Preoccupied by her nails once again, Julie didn't even look up at me when she responded. "The basics of what? Of Pokémon idols?" Like she had when we were first acquainted, Julie Bloomwood gave me a disapproving lookover that made my cheeks feel as if they were being seared by Spykes's fiery quills. "No offense, Jen, but you're not too much of an idol." She gave me a sympathetic smile before trotting beside Mallory, the only person in our trio who she deemed to be close to "exceptionally dressed".

I don't know what amazed me more. That someone actually liked Mal's fashion sense or that Julie actually knew how to use the word "exceptional".

Sam gave me a more appropriate look of sympathy, looking a lot like a blond Hoothoot with his eyes so wide with sleepiness. "Sorry…Jen." He patted me on the back before leading the way into the Pokémon Center, leaving me with plans to strangle him as soon as possible.

The sudden warmth of the Pokémon Center wasn't enough to set my mind at ease. But, it did leave me feeling hopeful for the planned Pokémon gym battle of tomorrow.

* * *

_Monday, April 12__th__ 10:19 am_

Julie Bloomwood spent a majority of the morning crying. No, I'm not kidding. She spent the morning _crying. _One might wonder something along the lines of _what was it this time? _Believe me, I sure did. Mallory, who hated being labeled as nothing more than "exceptional" was sure mirroring my thoughts, whereas Sam found it too amusing for words.

So, what was she weeping about? Was it the missing credit cards that her mother's assistants had mainly confiscated? Was it the reminder of the harsh explanation her mother had given to her over the phone? Was it the fact that her tiny bud of joy, Sunny the Sunkern, was stumbling all over the place because she was used to being held? Or, was it realizing what a total dope she was? Oh, no! Trust me! It was something so subtle and unexpected, I was surprised!

"This food is so…inappropriate!" Tears streaming down her cheeks faster than Tohjo Falls, Julie looked like a little kid. Her wavy blonde hair hung rather limply past her shoulders while her eyes were staring at the pancakes on our breakfast plates with pure hatred. "It isn't gourmet! It's flat!" To prove her point, she jabbed her eggs and pancakes with a forceful fork.

Mallory looked as mad as I felt. "They're pancakes. They're _supposed _to be _flat." _Eying our client with distaste, Mallory added under her breath, "Duh!"

Seated right next to Julie, Sam was simply beside himself with laughter. "Oh, man! Jules, you're a true riot!" He patted her on the shoulder before taking huge, impolite gulp of orange juice. "Oh noes!" Flailing his hands overdramatically, Sam jabbed a finger at his juice. "The drinks are too…liquidy!"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. Sam's expression and actions were so utterly ridiculous, and I felt so tired and cranky from yesterday's previous events…well, it was an easy thing to figure out. Next to me, Mallory snorted, holding her hand to her mouth to keep her chewed up eggs from flying out. The only one to remain sour was Julie who now glanced at us with disbelief.

"I am truly saddened by this present predicament, Wren." She looked at me with disappointment before looking at Mallory. "And, Valerie, why join in?" Last of all, she stared at Sam and gave a melancholy sigh, giving off the impression of an overworked Emmy award winner. She said nothing more before leaving us to think. "I'm very upset."

When she was finally gone, I tried to contain the feeling of disbelief that kept coming back. I looked at Mallory who looked even more confused than me. She was busy keeping her eyebrows raised while looking after the already departed Julie. The only one of us still snickering was Sam, who couldn't seem to contain himself today.

"Man!" Sam massaged his temples wisely, and smirked at me. "Naturally hilarious, but with no sense of humor?" He laughed some more while I came to a small realization.

I could feel myself replace disbelief with a sheepish look. "You know, I think she thought we were making fun of her. Laughing and everything while she was crying."

"We were!" Sam managed those two simple words before choking on a crust of toast.

I gave him a good wack on the back while Mallory said something agreeing. "She's just not used to this. She's a pain, but she's used to being one."

"Wow! You're so smart!" Stealing my usual sarcasm, Sam rolled his eyes, having recovered enough to be snide.

"Shut up." I muttered, elbowing him sharply in the ribs. "We're going to have to apologize-you especially, Samuel!"

"_Me_?" Now Sam looked surprised. "Why me?"

"You're the smart aleck who just _had _to make a joke, remember?" Mallory collected our bags and joined me in tugging Sam out of the booth.

Sam glared at us seriously. "At least I'm a leader, not a follower. I didn't laugh along, did I? I started the laughing instead, you Mareep!"

Mallory shared a small smile at me while I whispered. "I've got the feeling that we have more than one dumb blonde to deal with."

* * *

_Monday, April 11__th__ 11:46 am_

Convincing Julie that all of our teasing was good natured was a very easy task indeed. How did we succeed? Well, for starters, Sam had to agree to be Julie's little shopping Sherpa for the entire day. A shopping Sherpa, according to Julie, was a little midget who followed socialites around in order to do little tasks while they explored malls. Like carrying their bags, and being little mannequins who modeled scarves and makeup, when needed. It was the best form of payback in my opinion.

"Having poor friends has many benefits!" Beaming happily, Julie tugged a harassed looking Sam along with her as she dashed to the nearest mall that Goldenrod City had to offer.

Sam glared at us from a block away, though we were quick to hurry off to find the Pokémon gym.

"That's what he gets for being a jerk!" I decided triumphantly, holding my hand up for a deserved high five.

Mallory smiled approvingly, and did so. "Too bad we can't go along to watch."

"We can after I get us registered at the gym." I released Spykes from his Pokeball and scooped the little guy up in my arms. "Do they have a Pokeathlon Dome around here?"

Mallory released Marie the Mareep from her Pokeball, and picked her up as well. She flashed an excited grin as we walked on a surprisingly mainly empty sidewalk. "Yep! I was going to tell everyone at breakfast, but Julie's little…misunderstanding kind of ruined that announcement. Anyway, it's an unofficial one from what Nurse Joy told me, but it still counts for experience and everything. It's this Saturday!" Giggling like a squealy fan girl, Mallory hopped up and down with joy. "I can't wait!"

"We'll get you registered and everything after we find the gym." I felt some honest and sincere goodness for Mallory. She had a reason to be excited, and I was glad for her. I could imagine what it was like to be the only unemployed one in the group. Even Julie was slightly employed. Her mom _was_ paying us to escort her after all.

* * *

_Monday, April 11__th__ 11:59 am_

The streets that streamed through Goldenrod City like busy rivers were hectic and full of activity as lunchtime neared. Shoppers bustled around with their armsful, businessmen pushed past us with harassed sighs and drooped shoulders, and cars filled the asphalt like fish in a lake, beeping their horns rapidly as traffic grew even more prominent.

"I'd hate to live over here." Mallory whispered to me as we passed an apartment building where chaotic hard rock was roaring out. "Imagine being neighbors with these rock wierdos!" She hugged Marie especially close to her as we squeezed through a line of very angry citizens.

I nodded in agreement, eying a pair of inconsiderate bicyclists who insisted upon wheeling on the sidewalk. "I'd hate to live here, period! Everyone's always talking about how great this place is. Really it's just some sort of tourist trap!"

"A tourist death slash money trap, right?" Giddy with excitement, Mallory nudged me and I nudged her right back. We might've started a nudging duel if the crowds hadn't grown so harsh.

One guy clutching a briefcase glared sharply at us. "Watch it, kid!"

"Quil!" From my arms, Spykes piped up with fierce defense sounding loud in his chirpy voice. "Cyndaquil!"

The man simply snorted with dignity and huffed off, seemingly dissolving into the crowds like everyone else.

* * *

_Monday, April 11__th__ 11:59 am_

Picture a house-er building really, with frilly curtains framing sugary-white windows, a front yard simply decked out with rose bushes, and a paint job that brings Pepto Bismol to mind…or like someone ate five pounds of cotton candy and barfed it all up. That's exactly how I would describe the Goldenrod City gym. Seriously.

As if the roses weren't enough, the grass was dyed a really horrid hot pink, while everything about the building screamed the gender of the gym leader. Heck! I wouldn't have been able to label it as the gym if there wasn't a big old sign saying so; in really frilly cursive penmanship, I might add.

"Wow!" Mallory looked astounded by the sight. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

I nodded, glancing at the sign for comfort. "Um, yeah…"

We deposited our small Pokémon on the bright pink lawn, giving them the ability to trot around and stretch their legs while we entered this supposed madhouse. Mallory dragged behind me, definitely trying to keep at the front. With one last glance at the outside world, I pushed open the candy-pink double doors and entered the facility.

Unsurprisingly, the walls lining the interior were also painted pink, although the shade was light enough to be bearable when I stared directly at it. Surprisingly, however, this gym did not provide a front room with a receptionist and desk. Falkner's gym had done so, though it did make perfect sense for all gyms to differ in their own independent ways. However, I wasn't really expecting what we really did see.

A battlefield surrounded by Pokémon plush toys laid smack dab in the very midst of a large room. Flowerpots topped with more pink roses and carnations were hidden in every corner, peeking out just enough to be viewed. For some ungiven reasons, there were two pastel pink bouncy inflatable castles in the room, located in the very back.

From what I could see there were plenty of equally pink Pokémon inside, jumping around while some cheesy pop music blared from a surprisingly white stereo. Girls dressed in predominantly pink outfits were stationed everywhere, too, cuddling pink Pokémon and drinking fizzy drinks.

And, in the very middle of all of this, sitting upon a weird gold and pink throne-like seat, was the Goldenrod gym leader, Whitney.

Now, Whitney was just as surprising as her actual gym…in appearance that is. Was she donning a pink outfit and pigtail hairstyle? Uh, yeah! Was she surrounded by Clefairy who sang their little hearts out? You bet! And, did she look as if she were treated like a princess often, being such a widely known adorable young girl? Of course! So, what could be surprising?

How about her age? After dealing with Bugsy for a whole week, I wondered why I wasn't used to the youth that was the gym leaders of today. Even so, I'd seriously been expecting someone close in age to Falkner…or an adult even! Instead, here was a girl with bright pink hair who looked no older than fourteen.

Blue eyes that reminded me of cheesy sparkling ponds widened as Whitney took our presence in. She stood up from her, uh, throne, and waltzed over to us with her hands placed daintily on her hips. Her trio of Clefairy evolutions followed close behind with Cleffa in the lead.

"Hi!" With a high pitched voice that totally sounded young, Whitney greeted us brightly. She gave us both a once over, though I could feel her gaze linger on me for a few extra seconds. I felt just a tidbit uncomfortable, though I tried not to show it. "New challengers? Or-" After twirling once like a ballerina, Whitney stopped and shook her hips. "Are you here to par-tay?"

"Woo!" A blonde haired teen cheered along with her friends, raising their sodas in the air as they did so. "It's a girl's world, ladies!"

One dark haired chick pulled some kind of remote out of her pocket and pushed a few buttons. In a matter of five seconds, the battlefield was replaced with a huge, aquatic pool, complete with inner tubes and beach rafts.

Shocked by the sudden move, I tensed. "Uh…"

Out of nowhere, Whitney jumped right in front of me, making me even more nervous. "You look familiar. Do you have a sister?"

"Uh, no…" Whitney was seriously starting to freak me out with her wide eye stare and look of suspicion. Had I done her wrong or something in the past? Wasn't this the first time we had ever met? "I have two brothers though." Admitting to having two obnoxious siblings made me think though; did Aaron do something to screw my nonexistent reputation up?

"Two brothers…" Whitney began to ponder on this, imitating Shirley Temple with her finger on her chin.

Mallory gave me a consoling pat on the shoulder, calming me a bit while all of this went on. To get my nerves chilled out even more, I watched Marie and Spykes do cutesy little Pokémon things. Pushing clumped strands of brown hair out of my eyes, I smiled lightly as Spykes avoided the pool while Marie was busy being admired by a pair of Whitney's minions. She sure seemed to be enjoying it, with her face beaming while girls stroked her ultra soft wool.

"Cynda!" Friendly as always, Spykes touched noses with a Cleffa, earning a grin from the Normal-type. The two proceeded playing with Marie and a Clefairy soon joining in an unorganized game of tag. Why couldn't complete strangers set aside differences to get along?

A sudden shriek from Whitney snapped me out of my happy place, and brought me back to reality. Whitney jabbed a finger pointedly in my direction, her eyes narrowed fiercely. "I WILL NOT BATTLE YOU!" she gritted her teeth as if to set her point. All it did was make me label her as a complete psycho in my mind. "You're Gwen Jenkins!"

"Uh, yeah…" Why was I at loss of words? And, how did this girl know my name?

Mallory seemed to be wondering the same thing. "Uh, have you met Gwen before or something?" She looked completely dumbfounded, regarding Whitney with a pair of eyes that were clearly trying to remain focused.

"No!" Still louder than necessary, Whitney continued with her weird psycho declares. "But, I've met her brother! The infamous Aaron Jenkins! That jerk!" Whitney began clenching her fist tightly, threatening to crack her knuckles or something. "He was such a jerk!"

"Uh, what did my brother do this time?" I managed to get that sentence out before sinking further into disbelief. Why was my brother always doing this? Acting memorable enough so that people generally knew who I was beforehand?

"Well, a number of things really…that jerk! He let some stupid Scyther run rampant in my gym! He slashed one of my bouncy castles once too!"

Cautiously, my hand hovered over Zorro's Pokeball which was attached to my belt. "Oh, a rampant Scyther, eh? Gee, that really sucks!" I glanced at Mallory who was rolling her eyes with annoyance. Whether it was at me, Whitney, or Zorro's past mistakes was beyond me. I turned to meet Whitney's gaze straight on. "I mean, yeah, Aaron can be a total jerk half the time. Uh, but that has nothing to do with me, remember? Can we battle?"

For a split second, Whitney actually looked as if she were thinking it through. The moment soon passed and a scowl was back on her face. "No! I like to make eye contact with my opponents, but that won't even be possible with you. You have the same eyes as Aaron. The same! You and no one affiliated with you will be challenging me or setting foot in this gym." Whitney jabbed her finger at an irritated Mallory; a mistake. "That goes for you, too!"

Tossing her long green braid over one shoulder, Mallory beckoned Spykes and Marie over to her. Somehow, with Marie tucked under one arm, and with Spykes clinging to her shoulder, Mallory managed to get a firm grip on my arm. "I don't care! You're worse a brat than Julie. Screwdriver you and your gym, you grudge holding twit! Come on, Gwen!" It wasn't a request, but an order, something I figured out as Mallory protectively tugged us out of the hot pink chambers.

* * *

_Monday, April 11__th__ 12:14 pm_

Vigorously and with manners completely absent, Mallory devoured two whole sandwiches in the Pokémon Center cafeteria. I watched with fascination as she began chomping down on a third. Whitney's craziness must've really gotten to her, which greatly surprised me.

"It's not like you battle gyms." I said, picking carelessly at a sprig of lettuce on my plate.

Mallory quit eating like a cannibal long enough to glare ferociously at me. "So? No one goes psycho and yells at you or Sam, except me! Not random trainers, not mean pedestrians, and most definitely not Whitney. Do we have an understanding, Gwen?" Her blue eyes looked so fierce that I had to nod with agreement. Looking pleased with herself, Mallory took a dainty sip of grape juice. "Good. Now, where are the dumb blondes?"

Speaking of the devils-or in our case, the blonde haired demons-the two shoppers entered the cafeteria, both looking tired and starving. Sunny the Sunkern was in the lead, hopping with plenty of pep in her step. A happy Julie was following close behind her, with a cranky Sam trailing along.

"Ah!" Julie placed her purse on the opposite end of our booth, smiling with satisfaction the entire while. "I truly do love shopping." Still happy, Julie pranced to possibly consider eating some "poor people" food.

Meanwhile, Sam deposited the dozens of shopping bags that he carried underneath our table. He left for the buffet, but returned soon enough with a plate piled with food. He sat down beside me, glaring murderously at us both.

"Never again!"he declared before digging into a huge amount of macaroni and cheese. After swallowing one massive mouthful, he spoke of his adventures. "Something fairly strange happened on our way back here."

"Wouldn't shopping with Julie be strange enough?" I asked.

Sam narrowed his eyes at me. "Neither of you would know the answer to that, I can tell you that much. Anyway, that aside, we stopped by the gym." Butterfree began fluttering all about in my stomach from nerves. "I wanted to see just what to expect from a battle. So, anyway, I go into this horridly pink place with chicks partying all over the place. I spot the gym leader sulking on a throne, surrounded by pink memorabilia. I ask her if some short girl came in to schedule battles, and she goes crazy."

Mallory and I exchanged a look, seeing where this was all going.

Deep in his memory, Sam continued. "She goes of on this tangent, telling me that some guy named Aaron is a jerk and how she's not going to battle anyone affiliated with him. She went on for like fifteen minutes, so I left." Done, Sam looked me right in the eye. "Care to explain what that was all about?"

"Uh…" I racked my brain for the correct words for an honest explanation. But, the more I though about it, the more I realized just how unjustly everything was going. How was it my fault that Aaron had angered a gym leader? And, where the heck was Aaron? "Whitney has a beef with Aaron some reason that I know nothing about."

"Oh…" Sam sighed openly, and shook his head at me.

At the buffet table, Julie was giving many foods disdainful looks, though she was finally grabbing a couple of sandwiches and dinner rolls to digest. Sam was still giving me blameful looks, but Mallory actually looked as if she had an idea. Something that could help us with this dilemma.

"Maybe we could bribe her?" I suggested.

Mallory made a face. "I am not giving that idiot any of my money. And, anyway, why should we spend anything? It's your brother's fault. We need to find Aaron and get him to come here."

That sounded reasonable enough, but where the heck _was_ Aaron?

* * *

**Finally! Another update has come and gone! Yay! ****Did anyone see the final Harry Potter movie? Curiosity is making me ask, though, I'd honestly love to know!****Moving on, here is this update's trivia question!**

**Q: In the games, what Pokémon has the highest amount of HP possible?**

**Difficult? Easy? Anyway, just PM me if you have the answer, and I'll let you know if you're right. As always, leave a review. And, until next time, au revoir, readers!**


	21. Journey to Marigold City

**Chapter 21: Journey to Marigold City**

_Tuesday, April 12__th__ 9:12 am_

"Your brother is being extremely irresponsible lately," sounding and looking very irritated with the current situation, my mother griped endlessly to me over a video phone. "He hasn't called for a week, and he promised me-_promised- _that he would never abandon a chance to let us know what's happening. I swear, sometimes I do not understand all of this journey hype."

I found myself feeling very puzzled, trying to keep track of what we were talking about. "Well, uh, didn't you ever go on a journey, Mom?" I held my breath in anticipation for the answer.

"What? Well, yes. For about a year I traveled. But, I grew bored eventually and settled down and I got a nice steady job. But, we're not talking about my childhood, Gwen. We're talking about your brother. Did this gym leader explain what he did to upset her exactly?" Mom looked serious now, eyes narrowed.

"No."

"Nothing at all? Do you need me to drive out there and speak with her? It just doesn't seem reasonable or professional to bar a child from having gym battle simply because one disagreed with a sibling or relative." She shook her head with disapproval. "Do you need me to write her a letter?"

Knowing where this was going, I vigorously shook my head. "Don't!"

My mother has the strangest ways of dealing with people. When I was six, Aaron and I were sent to this week long summer camp where several older kids took to teasing us and our cabin mates. When Mom found out about the situation, she sent countless letters to the kids, counselors, and parents telling them off. When that didn't work, she drove out to the camp and told them off personally with Granny backing her up the entire time.

Did it show how loyal she was as a mother? Yes. But, did that keep it all from being utterly embarrassing? Um, no!

Right now in the present, Mom was regarding me with a very serious expression. "Understand this, Gwen. No one messes with my kids and gets away with this. If this issue isn't settled by the end of April, we're all coming to Goldenrod City, understand?"

"Uh, okay…" I picked at my nails absently, feeling a lot like Julie. "So, you have no idea where Aaron is?"

Mom shook her head again. "No. Have you tried calling him?"

"I lost his number."

"Fine. I'll give it to you. He might not answer the phone, but it's worth the try."

Five minutes later, I was pacing around the Pokémon Center lobby, listening intently while my Pokégear rang. Aaron had to pick up. Aaron _needed _to pick up. I needed him to pick up. So, why wasn't fate making him pick up? Wasn't I asking the universe politely enough?

Finally, someone picked up on the other end. "Hello?"

"Aaron! Where are you?" I asked immediately.

"Oh, Gwennie! My little sis! No, how are you? Or, how's life treating you? You're just jumping in and questioning my current location! My Arceus, it's as if you need to send a hit man to me immediately." Aaron sounded like his usual cocky self. I had to wonder if this was why Whitney hated him so much. "Now, explain, sis. Explain."

"Tell me where you are first, Aaron!" I made my tone as urgent and serious as possible, hoping to get the info that I needed.

Aaron began chuckling, and I seriously felt like throwing my phone across the room. "Chill! I'm in Marigold City right now. I'm participating in a tournament; a seriously epic one, too! There's no doubt about it. I'm making it to the finals!"

"Good for you!" I said as sarcastically as possible.

Aaron's voice sounded a little hurt now. "Geez! Who poured salt in your cereal?"

"No one…" I mumbled nearly inaudibly. "But it's thanks to you that the Goldenrod gym leader refuses to battle me. What did you do to get her so pissed off? She's been calling you a jerk, and because of you she won't battle me or Sam."

There was nothing but silence on the other end for nearly twenty seconds. Eventually, Aaron chose to speak up. "Wait, you're in Goldenrod City? Oh, great…"

"What did you do?" I demanded.

"Nothing!" Aaron sounded uncomfortable for once, which pleased me. "There was just an, uh, misunderstanding…And, anyway, after the tournament, I'll come to Goldenrod. I'll convince her or something..."

"Will that work?"

"I don't know." Now it was Aaron's turn to mumble. "The tournament will be over in a few days, Gwen. When it is, I'll be in Goldenrod, I promise! Now, I've got to go." There was a single click, followed by an inevitable silence.

I closed my Pokégear and stuffed it into my pocket, still unsure of what to do.

* * *

_Tuesday, April 12__th__ 9:30 am_

I joined the others in the cafeteria with a bowl of cereal. I told them everything, ending my explanation with Aaron's promise to show up at the end of the week.

"And here I was hoping to get my battle with Whitney over and done with." Sam looked thoroughly annoyed as he chomped on a piece of toast. "Instead, we'll all be pinning our hopes on your hotshot brother. What a great plan!"

I glared at him. "Don't steal my sarcasm, Samuel." I sighed though, understanding his frustration. "I have a plan, but it'll take longer and you guys might disagree with it. Why don't we just travel to Marigold City, and get Aaron ourselves? Nurse Joy told me that it's a four day trip. That's plenty of time to train and catch more Pokémon, right?"

"I can't." Shaking her head, Mallory immediately spoke her thoughts. "I'm sorry, but I'm not missing the Pokeathlon this weekend."

Julie gazed at us with very serious green eyes. "Well, I can't either. There's going to be a Carlita Simeon sale this Thursday!" In a giddy way, Julie began gushing and giggling. "I can't wait!"

"Who the heck is Carlita and why should we care about a sale?" I asked, not bothering to conceal the trace of viciousness in my tone.

"She's a very well known designer with plenty of expensive accessories to display!" Julie was still giddy, too giddy to speak seriously. "Everything will be twenty five percent off! I'll buy things that cost a thousand dollars for only seven hundred and fifty!"

What was more surprising? The fact that that was considered to be a sale or the fact that Julie knew how to do math?

But, moving on, already two of my three friends were against the plan, and only one was left. I looked Sam directly in the eye, but he seemed to be deep in thought.

"I'll just go alone." I sighed deeply, and my words seemed to break through Sam's mind.

He looked up quickly and frowned. "As if! I'm going with you. There won't be anything for me to do here."

"Really? You'll come?" I was more than surprised.

"That's what I said. And, I hope we're leaving soon. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get your brother back here."

I nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow."

* * *

_Wednesday, April 13__th__ 8:02 am_

As bright and early as we could manage, Sam and I awoke with our bags fully packed and stocked with needed supplies. All five of Sam's Pokémon were fully healed, as were my three current ones. The cafeteria was just beginning to serve food, but we managed to nab a few waffle sticks and orange juice before departing to the lobby.

Looking tired and slightly cranky in a dark gray nightshirt, Mallory gave us both angry looks. "You guys want me to babysit Julie alone?"

"If you do I'll give you money to buy a track outfit for the Pokeathlon." I pushed a wad of cash into her open palm. "Get what you want. It sucks that we won't be here to see you perform."

"I'll get the blonde to videotape it." Mallory said, counting out the cash. "Call us when you get to the city, kay?"

"Right!"

We were soon leaving Goldenrod City, departing on the very right of the metropolis with the aid of Sam's Pokégear. Just the two of us, trying to find my brother so we could calm a bratty gym leader down. Who would've known that that would be us?

As I really thought about it, a month ago I would've been just turning ten. I had been ten for an entire month. A month ago, I probably didn't know what I would be up against in a Pokémon journey. I wouldn't expect the psycho starter that was Zorro. I wouldn't expect the ease of having two gym badges. I wouldn't know the spunkiness of Levina or the adorability of Spykes. I would never expect that I would be turned into a Pichu. I wouldn't expect getting lost in Union Cave and coming across a mystery girl.

A month ago today, I was probably still trying to figure out a way to convince my mom about Pokémon journeys and adventures. And, now, here I was; on a journey and encountering craziness at every corner. Unexpected craziness, but pretty regular stuff nonetheless.

In a matter of ten minutes, we left Goldenrod behind with a new city and goal in our mindsets. Did I know what to expect along the way. Not at all.

So, here's to the future!

* * *

**So, Sam and Gwen have now gone in their own direction for the time being, hoping to locate the cocky Aaron. And, Mallory and Julie have been left behind in Goldenrod. What will come out of this new dilemma?**

**Yeah, I'm not the best with ending words…**

**Mallory is not being shoved aside for any real reason. I'm actually hoping to make her a major character in my other story, Struggles: Hopeful Aspirations. **

**Why? Cause that story focuses on coordinators, as well as the Pokeathlon.**

**To be honest, I really needed Sam and Gwen out of the way. Sending them to go get Aaron was the perfect way to do so, besides killing them off, which I'm totally not planning on doing any time soon…**

**Anyway, as always leave a review, yada, yada…**

_**Au Revoir, readers!**_


	22. Dazed and Confused

**Chapter 22: Dazed and Confused**

_Wednesday, April 13__th__ 8:02 pm_

Night falls pretty darn quickly when you're traveling nonstop with a fellow midget friend for company. At least, that's how it seemed to me. With Sam conversing about simple things that varied in randomness, it was hard to completely note the transitions of time. Before I knew it, darkness was upon us, accompanied by a feeling of sleepiness.

We didn't even bother to set up the tent packed in my backpack. We did nothing more than fling our sleeping bags out, creep into them, and nod off shortly after our tiny heads touched the comfy surface.

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 11:46 am_

"A four day trip probably only counts if we keep walking, Gwen." Sam said to me while he combined walking and eating. He didn't bother to look at me with his gray eyes glued attentively on spreading the right amount of cream cheese on his bagel. "If we stop every time your leg aches, we won't get anywhere."

"You wouldn't be saying that if _your_ legs were aching!" I shot back around chewing through a chocolate chip breakfast bar. I narrowed my eyes at him sternly. "Sam, would you quit focusing on your food so seriously? It's just a bagel!"

Sam still didn't acknowledge my presence with eye contact, although his light eyebrows did furrow slightly. "Just a bagel? Now, Gwen, you must learn to hold your food at a much higher state of regard." Done with the cream cheese, Sam resealed the container, tucked it into his backpack, and began biting into his bagel with such relish; I would've thrown him into a commercial advertising the joys and importance of breakfast. Smacking with no regard for his usual etiquette, Sam looked up at me with a pair of wide eyes. "When's da last dime 'choo had a bagel, Gwin?"

I snorted and rolled my eyes at him. "I wish Mallory was here. Sometimes I get why I was so eager to have a female friend when I was seven."

There's was silence between the two of us while Sam immersed himself in eating. Watching him grin like a kindergartener with his cheeks bulging was amusing and pure entertainment for a bit, but it pretty much sucked since Mallory wasn't there to point it out to. And, she wasn't here to laugh along with me.

Overall, I pretty much caught myself missing Mallory on several different occasions. After three years of dealing with her cheery comments, crazy temper, and hotshot gymnastic skills, it was difficult to not think about her. And, the fact that she had been my only female human companion for one whole month was hard to overlook too.

Since Sam was buttering a third bagel, I managed to distract myself by messing around with my Pokédex, looking up any regional Pokémon that came to mind. It didn't take a wizard to figure out Whitney's specialty type. And, it also didn't take a wizard for me to know the right kind of Pokémon to look out for.

Catching a Fighting-type was on the agenda, along with powering up Levina's Low Kick move, which would definitely prove to be equally useful and effective.

"I want a Tyrogue." I scrolled downwards using the arrow keys, my eyes scanning the screen with studied depth. "They're really brilliant. Three different evolutions make them nearly as useful as Eevee."

Sam only grunted and nodded in response, though I didn't really mind. More or less I was talking to myself.

"But, there aren't any in this area." I frowned upon my Pokédex. "It won't make much sense to travel to Cianwood City for one, really. That's where a lot of people breed them, since it's such a Fighting-type oriented area. Maybe I'll train Levina?" Balancing my Pokédex in one hand, I retrieved Levina's Pokeball from my belt and sent her on out.

Levina grinned in an all confident sort of way, fists clenched and ready for action. "Elekid!"

She began walking beside me, punching the air in front of her like a regular person just practicing karate or something.

"Y'know, Levina was the last Pokémon you ever caught." Surprisingly through with chowing on donut lookalikes, Sam spoke in a serious tone. "And, that was back in Violet City, remember?"

How could I ever forget any of the major details? The stampeded of kids dashing to catch the seven Elekid in the area? Me proving to be adept at reverse psychology? Zorro showing off his chops and holding Levina prisoner so I could successfully throw a Pokeball? My first capture of all time?

"Since then, I've captured two Pokémon, and Mallory has captured three." Sam gave me eye contact, looking very serious and superior. "And, in total, I have five while she remains with four. Despite being so ambitious, Gwen, you only have three Pokémon, and of those three, you only personally captured one of them."

I placed my hands on my hips, and was pleased when Levina did the same supportively. "What's that supposed to mean, Samuel?"

Sam raised his hands defensively, walking ahead just a bit. "Nothing. But, doesn't it seem like a good idea to keep an eye out for a new teammate? You can't take on Johto with a tiny Cyndaquil, a disobedient Scyther, and an Elekid." Sam grinned a bit at Levina. "She's pretty great at battling. I kind of regret not capturing her. Or, not even attempting to, anyway."

"Yeah, you were too busy ditching me, remember?"

Sam ignored me, and took a Pokeball from the pocket of his jeans. "Yoko's due for some fresh air."

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 12:10 pm_

Riding on the back of a spirited young Doduo can seriously get you far on a long old route. Sam was, as always, at the front, with my Elekid and me hanging on in the back. Yoko was definitely faster than I remembered, though it had been awhile since I had last ridden on him.

"How's it going, Yoko?" I asked casually while the Doduo slowed to a steady pace as we approached a fairly dusty path.

Yoko's left head turned to me and crowed pleasantly. "Doduo!" He nodded to me in a general friendly way before turning back around to keep his eyes on the road.

While Yoko kept himself slow and steady, Sam relaxed enough to began chomping on a turkey sandwich, slapped between two bagel slices. He was certainly in a bagel craze today. I half expected to see a pint of bagel infused milk and a saucer of ice cream dripping with bagel pieces to pop into existence.

"This hits the spot!" Sam moved onto a second bagel sandwich faster than Manectric in an electric mania.

"How many bagels do you have?" I asked, keeping an arm safely around Levina, with my eyes staring at my friend, confused.

Sam shrugged, and licked his lips in anticipation. Honey was dripping from all of the round ends of his meal, mixed with a sweet scented pinkish paste that smelled like fresh strawberries. My stomach growled slightly, though I decided to hold in my hunger until we were walking on our own two feet again.

"'Unny and stwabewwy, Gwin!" Cheeks bursting with food, Sam persisted with speaking like a feral preschooler. "Smell da sweeness?"

"You're ridiculous." I shook my head him, clinging to his arm when Yoko made a sudden stumbling move over a steep edgy crack in the ground.

It wasn't the only sudden move made. An out-of-nowhere halt nearly sent me flying overhead. However, I kept my grip firm and tight on both Levina and Sam, who looked pretty young with a surprised expression and his mouth stained with strawberries. My grip wasn't enough to keep Levina from jumping to the ground in a fit of surprise and speculation.

"Kid?" Eyes narrowed suspiciously, Levina's fists were raised as she circled Yoko, ending up in the front to view the sudden disturbance.

I hopped off of Yoko and hurried to Levina's side, curious to see the cause to our halt. Boy, was I surprised to see nothing more than a Teddiursa sitting in our way. Its paws were tucked under its cuddly chin as it gazed right at me with big, bright eyes. Its plushable body was definitely sitting in our way, although the little Normal-type showed no sign of moving.

"Teddi?" Eyes still super wide, this particular Teddiursa was creeping me out a bit with its staring.

Feeling uncomfortable, I tore my eyes away and mumbled the first thing that came to mind. "Uh, hi…"

"Doduo!" Yoko crowed in a booming tone. I had the impression that he was asking the Teddiursa to move aside, noting his irritated expression. "Do!"

Teddiursa did nothing, but blink.

Struggling off of Yoko while finally swallowing his food, Sam emerged with a look of confusion. "You stopped because this little thing was in your way?" He questioned Yoko with raised eyebrows. "Couldn't you leap right over it?" All the while, Sam waved his half eaten bagel sandwich in the air, as if he planned on using it as a weapon.

Yoko hung his left head with visible shame while the other murmured a response, "Doduo…"

"Kid!" Looking impatient, Levina began pointing at the still unmoving Teddiursa, obviously wanting the real issue to be taken care of.

I stole a glance at the problem Pokémon, avoiding the creepy big eyes. I scanned it with my Pokédex, just curious to read up on its species and personal info.

"It's a female." I read aloud, holding my Pokédex carefully with both hands. "And, according to this, she's pretty young. Only about four weeks old." I read further, feeling my brow furrow. "Doesn't seem to know any totally interesting moves. Just Fury Swipes and Fake Tears." I looked up at Sam. "What does the move Sweet Kiss do?"

"Um, gee, let's think!" his bagel sandwiches must've really been great tasting, cause having his eating and riding interrupted was making a total Krabby out of Sam. "It obviously has to do with kissing, right?"

I glared at him, feeling like snapping right back. I would've, but the female Teddiursa ruined it completely by proving to be extremely mobile. She lunged towards me and swiped my Pokédex out of my hands before snatching Sam's bagel and making a dash for it.

"Teddi!" Her voice was definitely gleeful as she whipped dust up in her running.

I stared after her, and then glanced down at my now empty hands with a deep feeling of confusion and questioning. "What the heck just happened?"

An answer wasn't given. Instead, Sam and Yoko were gone in a flash, leaving me and Levina behind on a lonely dust road.

"Kid?" Levina patted me on the arm consolingly, and grasped my hand tightly. She pulled me in the direction of the runners encouragingly, enough to finally get me out of my dazed confusion state. "Elekid!"

"Yeah," I shook my head, clearing it slightly. "All right, let's follow."

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 12:42 pm_

"Why do I feel a sense of déjà vu?" I asked Levina while we walked briskly in search of Sam, Yoko, and the Teddiursa. "Like, haven't we been stuck in this situation before? Union Cave and Ilex Forest? Reminiscence or something along those lines?"

I felt a little stupid, talking to someone who couldn't really communicate clearly. But, it was comforting when my Elekid gave me an agreeing nod.

Our footsteps made little prints in the road, which was interesting enough to me. However, the prints grew less distinct and more vague as we walked on. Sooner or later, the terrain around us changed quite a bit. The scenery shifted from dusty and worn to woodsy and green.

Looking all around, I saw trees popping up, enough to give off the impression of a small forest. Too small for a sign indicating a title or name, but big enough for someone to wander off and get lost. Was this totally similar to Ilex Forest, or what?

"I swear, if I meet up with any Stantler, I'm going to kill something." I mumbled this with a vicious edge, enough to earn me a curious look from Levina. I said in a louder, reassuring voice, "Not you, of course."

Levina seemed pleased to hear this, and nodded in agreement once more. She was turning into a new Mallory, it seemed. Except, half the time Mallory would've been debating with me and calling me a midget. Plus, a pair of yellow prong ears was a weird replacement for grassy green hair. Still, with Sam off doing something, Levina was a great source of companionship.

"Do you see anyone or anything?" I asked her after a brief three minutes. We were beginning to walk just a little ways into the trees, enough to be engulfed in a peaceful bit of shade.

Levina gestured to a pair of Rattata who scuttled past us quickly. "Elekid?" she smirked teasingly, obviously joking.

I managed a thin smiled. "Anything else? Samuel the insane, Yoko, or the Teddiursa?" She shook her head. "How about a bagel?" She smiled lightly this time around at the thought. "Well, at least we'll get some bonding time out of this, huh?"

We walked further in, passing all sorts of average Pokémon. Pidgey, Spinarak, you name it! If this forest had a name, it would revolve around words like common, basic, or simple. Why? Maybe because everything within was common, basic or simple.

The flowers growing amongst the grass were in basic colors. The Pokémon inhabiting the bushes and trees were common. And overall, the scenery was just plain and simple. Plain and simple.

If Levina hadn't been around, I'd probably have quit looking altogether.

Eventually, after ten minutes that dragged like hours, we came across a piece of evidence.

One bagel, smothered in sesame seeds, stood at the very roots of a tree. It was being sniffed by a familiar looking Hoothoot, who looked at it with disdain. This same Hoothoot looked up at us as we approached, and took our arrival in with a look of satisfaction.

More coincidental stuff was happening for certain.

"Sir Edwin?" I asked in a small voice.

A simple ruffling of feathers confirmed this question.

"Hoot!" Sir Edwin narrowed his eyes at me, as if we were back in Ilex Forest, looking for Mallory. "Hoothoot, hoot!"

I put my hands up defensively. "Remember? I can't understand you."

Sir Edwin responded by ruffling his feathers, and he flew up high, landing on my shoulder. His weight was enough to make me readjust the way I held my backpack, and enough to make me release Levina's hand.

"Kid?" Levina shook her head at Sir Edwin with disapproval. I had the impression that she hated the recent disturbance he had made to our tiny search party. It was like something along the lines of "two's company, three's a crowd".

"Hoot!" Sir Edwin retorted with an air of indignity.

"What happened to not wanting to tag along with a pesky human?" I asked, wondering whether shaking him off would be _too_ mean.

Sir Edwin seemed to shrug, though it was hard to tell. "Hoothoot. Hoothoot. Hoot!"

"What?"

Looking pleasantly irritated and harassed, Sir Edwin hopped off of my shoulder and landed in front of us. He toddled to a dust patch stamped into some shorter grass spot and began scratching into it with a second foot. He began to surprisingly put letters together, forming words.

"A Hoothoot that can write…" I rubbed my forehead with a hand that trembled slightly. "Now I've seen everything."

"Hoot!" After a general feather ruffling, Sir Edwin hopped aside and pointed at his scraggly writing with a foot. "Hoot!"

Scratched right into the dust were a few sentences: I'm not about to be captured. Do so and I'll make your life a living heck pesky human. I felt like being adventurous (sp?) so I followed you for a bit. Don't get any ideas."

It took a full minute to fully decipher and read it all, but I managed. "I have no intention of capturing you." I assured him. "Don't worry."

Levina smirked, looking pleased with her hands on her hips. "Kid!"

Sir Edwin glared at her, and began scratching at the dust patch in smaller strokes to make room.

The new stuff read: Your Elikid (sp?) is annoying. Moving on, I have seen a human boy acting strangely up ahead. Does he have anything to do with you?

"Well, stalker, he does." I felt relieved to hear (er, read) this bit of news. "Can you lead me to him?"

Sir Edwin was agreeable, nodding his head.

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 1:08 pm_

"Elekid, kid." Declaring in a bossy sort of voice, Levina continued to show a sort of disapproval towards Sir Edwin.

The Hoothoot, in question, was kind enough to guide us to Sam, but I had the feeling that he was making rude remarks in Pokémon speech. Levina had to have a real reason for disliking him so much. Did it have to do with him being somewhat of a stalker? Or, did she not approve of his attitude towards me? Or, did she feel a sort of rivalry with him because of their types? Electric versus Flying?

Whatever the reason, I chose to stay out of it, mainly. Instead, I tried not to worry too much about my Pokédex. I had been a bit more concerned for Sam and Yoko's departure, but I was beginning to remember being bamboozled by the weirdo Teddiursa too. Would my Pokédex be in one piece once I came across it? Was the Teddiursa going to take it apart like some creep? Would I always have so many questions with zero answers?

My legs were beginning to ache, but I managed to hold on until we made it to a fairly small clearing that made me remember my Stantler incident once more. What was with all the craziness that came along with Pokémon journeys?

Was it coincidental that a boy sat at the very foot of a nearby tree, looking dazed and confused?

The boy, in question, was most definitely not Sam. Though, he did look familiar. A baseball hat was crammed over his blue-black hair, and his outfit consisted of yellow and red. What was this kid's name? And, why was Sir Edwin pointing at him?

"This is the human boy you were talking about?" I asked, right when the kid's name came to mind. "Ethan the weirdo?

As if this were a title that related to him, Ethan's head glanced up at me. "Oh, hi." He stood up, stumbling quite a bit before hurrying over to me. "You're a simple townsfolk character, huh?" Without even waiting for a response, he went on. "My game avatar was just hit by this Teddiursa. It just came running through here with a little kid and a Doduo chasing after it. I'd like to know how to save my game and where the next town is."

It took me forever to finally close my mouth from surprise. "Wait, what?" Ethan opened his mouth to speak once more, but I quickly began speaking over him. "Never mind. How long ago did this happen?"

Ethan, it turned out, didn't know. As quick as possible, I hurried out of the clearing, dragging Levina and Sir Edwin behind me.

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 1:17 pm_

"Was that seriously the human boy you were talking about?" I repeated, groaning at Sir Edwin.

Sir Edwin gave me a nod. "Hoot!"

"Gee, thanks for the help." I rolled my eyes at him, and quickened my pace. I heard Levina make some more disapproval comments to him, but I kept ignoring it as much as possible. "Keep a lookout for Sam, Yoko, and a Teddiursa."

Nonstop walking went on for what felt like an hour. Maybe I was wrong. Sadly, my Pokégear was buried deep in my backpack, enough to make me too lazy to dig it out to check a more effective time slot. Instead, I put all of my focus on finding Sam, and nothing else.

Anyway, after the time dragging, the forest scene around us slowly disappeared. Trees decreased in population, and the grass was beginning to have a yellowish tinge. Overall, the terrain began to remind me of wildlife plains that I usually saw in Granny's nature shows.

We had a clearer view of everything, but no one else was in sight. The only thing present was a large Pidgey who had an odd red streak across his wing.

Upon seeing us, the Pidgey chirped brightly, and hopped in our direction. It cocked his head to the side, looking us up and down with slight familiarity. "Pid?"

"Hi," I said, kindly. Pidgey were beginning to be as common as trees to me, but it wasn't really their fault. Or was it? I quit being paranoid long enough to question the young Flying-type a bit. "Say, little guy, have you seen a human boy with yellowish hair? Or, a Doduo?"

"Pid?" The Pidgey looked up at me with surprisingly bright blue eyes, and it chirped once more. It nodded its head, and pointed its beak in a direction diagonal to us.

A pair of boulders were located there, surrounded by tall golden stalks of grass. It was definitely possible that Sam and Yoko were there, along with Teddiursa. But, would this Pidgey turn out to be just as wrong as Sir Edwin?

Keeping that in mind, I jogged in thee direction of the boulders, having a difficult time with tall grass licking at my shoes. I circled the rock formation, eyes looking out for any movement. Sure enough, there was a sight to behold, complete with the three runaways, with the addition of Dusty the Dunsparce and what appeared to be a Minun.

My hazel eyes were as wide was Sir Edwin's as I took everything in. Sam lay in a heap at the very base of a gray boulder, his gray eyes looking wide and dazed. His generally neat blond hair was extremely tousled and messy, while there appeared to be (surprise, surprise) a bagel held stiffly in one fist. The contents of his backpack surrounded him, including a lone Pokeball. Yoko was standing over him, looking as if he had just snapped out of a dream.

Teddiursa was gazing mournfully at a crushed bagel that lay in a wad of grass, crushed. The Minun, who I couldn't help but stare at, appeared to be lecturing her in a stern, yet squeaky voice, paws raising up in the manner of a strict college headmaster. Meanwhile, Dusty the Dunsparce was, well, asleep. Yep, in middle of this crazy scene, Sam's Dunsparce was asleep.

"Okay…" I cleared my throat and spoke in a much louder voice. "Could someone please, uh, explain what the heck is going on?"

Minun quit chattering long enough to turn and acknowledge me. "Minun, mi!"

"What?" I knew I wasn't about to get anywhere. I approached Sam, who blinked his eyes rapidly in an effort to focus. "Sam?"

He finally met my eyes and shook his head. "Don't ask."

I shut my mouth, that was certain. Instead, I simply watched while the Minun finished up his lecture to Teddiursa. He seemed very satisfied with himself, and scurried over to Levina and Sir Edwin, who had finally arrived at the weirdo crime scene. Red streak Pidgey was with them, and the common Flying-type seemed to know the Minun well enough.

I contemplated on how on earth that was realistic, and next thing I knew, both Pokémon had vanished. I glanced at Sam to see if he had noticed anything, but my blond midget friend had his eyes focused on Teddiursa who blinked at us with her ginormous creepy eyes.

Next thing I knew, Sam stood and hurled his last Pokeball at her, capturing her almost instantly. He held the occupied Pokeball in his fist, looking pleased and satisfied. "I caught her!" he declared, as if that weren't obvious.

"Um, why?"

Sam didn't respond. Instead, he pulled a Pokédex from his pocket and practically shoved it into my hands. "Here, I managed to save your Pokédex. But, not my bagel…" his face became saddened immediately.

I felt pretty speechless. Sam and Yoko had run off chasing a creepy kleptomaniac Teddiursa. Levina and I got through Simple Forest, meeting Sir Edwin along the way. Sir Edwin was basically stalking me, and he could write words in English. A Pidgey with a red marking had appeared and disappeared just as quickly with a Minun. And, now, I was speechless; plus, I felt pretty darn dazed and confused.

What great journey.

* * *

**Man, was it pretty fun writing this chapter! Plot characters appeared! Gwen was, well, dazed and confused! And, future stuff was mentioned! Plot related things especially came up.**

**I mean, yes, everything is plot related, but honest-to-gosh plot stuff came up.**

**Anyway, as always, just a leave a nice review with opinions, rants, constructive criticism, etc. Blah, blah, blah. The usual.**

_**Au revoir**_**, readers!**


	23. My Brother, the Pain

**Chapter 23: My Brother the Pain**

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 3:01 pm_

"So, let me get this straight." With Sir Edwin insisting upon perching heavily on my shoulder, I walked unsteadily in-between failed attempts to throw him off. I still managed to speak to Sam however, over the deranged Hoothoot's furious hoots. "After chasing after that Teddiursa for awhile, you and Yoko were both eventually hit with a move known as Sweet Kiss, which involved confusion rather than snogging. Right?"

Sam silently nodded, staring down at his moving sneakers. He had been strangely silent for a majority of the time, acting very mellow. It seemed that he was also over his random bagel fetish, having lost his entire supply of them during the wild Teddiursa chase. So, he was fresh out of bagels and Pokéballs, especially now that he had a new recent capture.

It didn't seem to be doing much for him. Sure, his blond hair was no longer tousled and windblown, and his gray eyes seemed more relaxed, but his entire mood seemed…embarrassed and just a tidbit dazed, almost. His hands were hidden from view, jammed into the deep chasms of his pockets, and his gaze remained averted.

Conversing with him was not an option, so I decided to continually gripe at Sir Edwin. "Get off! I'm not carrying you!" I jerked my shoulder backwards, but Sir Edwin hung on.

"Hoot!" he screeched in a tone that told me otherwise. I swatted at him with my other hand, which had him flapping his wings furiously in retaliation. He began poking wildly at my head with his beak, in what appeared to be Pokémon tantrum. "Hoothoot!"

"_Argh_!" I groaned loudly, drawing out the sound horridly.

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 3:25 pm_

The two of us (with our Hoothoot tagalong, obviously) walked nonstop for what felt like a couple of years. However, Sam was quick to inform me that only twenty minutes had flown pass. Yep! The blond midget was back to being that smart aleck. He was also quick to inform me that we were approaching Marigold City, the proof being the display on his Pokégear's map app.

Sooner or later, we entered through high iron gates and found ourselves in yet another metropolis, this one not quite as busy and threatening like the zany Goldenrod City. Marigold City (despite having a form of the word _gold _in its name) was actually quite welcoming, although the air was absolutely filled with battle cries of trainers.

In fact, the entire city seemed pretty devoted to battles.

It was hard to navigate our way to the customary Pokémon Center without nearly getting in the crossfires of crazy adolescents battling it out in the streets. And, at least a dozen times, kids no older than nine demanded that we battle their low level Meowth and Spearow. But, we managed to get to the friendly little rest stop in one piece, with Sir Edwin still claiming my shoulder as his territory, although not in the freaky way that Pokémon did on nature shows.

Tired, but pleased, I was quick to hand Spykes, Levina, and Zorro over to the standard Nurse Joy, who happily healed them up. She even took Sir Edwin along with her, relieving me of the burden. After snagging a sandwich and soda from the cafeteria, I met a cranky Sam in the videophone corner, where he appeared to be arguing with his mother.

"Sam, after letting four kids shove their unneeded Pokémon in my hands for nearly seven whole years, I've just about had it!" Blonde and firm, Mrs. Wilson had eye contact with her son through the video phone reception, with serious brown eyes staying strong. "I'm putting my foot down."

Sam simply looked peeved. "I get that the youngest always have to get the short end of the stick, but aren't you taking it a little too far, _Mother_? You obviously have some experience."

"Didn't you hear me? I've had it with James sending crazy stampedes of Buneary and Ponyta. I've had it with Kimberly forcing Pokémon eggs into my care. I've had it with Travis popping by and arm wrestling Machamp like some fiend! And I've had with Keenan complaining about how I need to hold this charade out for a little longer more! My garden will never look the same again!" Mrs. Wilson looked on the verge of tears, but her stern expression didn't waver much.

"Keenan's right. You're _supposed_ to take our Pokémon!" Sam's voice began muttering, like it usually did when he had nothing clever to say in one of his moods. "Least you can do as a parent…"

Sam's mom narrowed her eyes enough to make me want to tiptoe away whistling. "Excuse me, Samuel Alexander Wilson. I'm sorry that I don't have nerves of steel like some parents. I'm not storing anymore Pokémon. My decision is final! Send it to your sister if you stubbornly insist."

An awkward silence fell in. Sam looked cranky, glaring at the ground with a pair of tired grey eyes before he decided to turn and look at me.

Boy, was I put on the spot. "Uh, hi, Mrs. Wilson!" I managed a perky greeting, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me when Sam's mother finally cracked a smile.

"Oh, Gwendolyn, dear. It's been a while." Mrs. Wilson relaxed a bit. "How has traveling gone for you? Catching four Pokémon in one month like my son here?"

"Uh, not really…But, it's all gone great!" I enthusiastically grinned, hoping that I looked convincing. "Fantastic, really!"

Still facing me, Sam rolled his eyes, but didn't say another word.

"Well, that's obviously good to hear. I just had coffee with your mother the other day. Had to prepare her for when her youngest finally begins the usual countdown to his tenth birthday." She chuckled, probably from the thought of memories long gone. Eventually, she sighed openly. "Anyway, Sam, call Kim. She can help you. I can't. Simple as that."

"Okay…" Sam sighed, matching his mother's habits well.

"I love you, dear. Call again soon." And with a single click, the screen went blank.

Sam punched in another phone number, looking even crankier than before.

"When we find Aaron, I'll let you throw the first punch." I smiled, hoping to lighten his spirits some. But Sam was too stubborn for that, so I fell silent until the call went through to Sam's cheery, fun fourteen year old sister, Kimberly. "Hey, Kim!"

"Ah, Gwen, Sam." Blonde like Sam and her mother, but without the serious disposition, Kim stood tall and proud, dressed in a quirky pink outfit. "What's up? You look pretty…down, bro." She regarded Sam with a pair of equally insightful grey eyes.

Still looking like a total jerk, Sam gave a shrug.

Looking confused and annoyed, Kim began questioning me. "Elaborate the situation, will ya, Gwen?"

"Uh…" Here I was, caught in the middle of a family squabble that I knew nothing about. "Your mom isn't taking in any more Pokémon…so, we called you?" It definitely came out sounding like a question. Definitely not an explanation.

But, in true Kim fashion, Sam's older sister seemed to understand instantly. "Ah! So, the heroic breeder sister has been called to take in her distraught sibling's pet? Sounds cool! You're not giving me Yoko, the Doduo I sent you?"

"No." Sam tugged a Pokeball from his pocket. "Take this Teddiursa and train it for me. Will you?"

"Maybe if you lose the grouchy pout and say please."

Sam's eyes seemed to twitch with frustration. I saw where this was going. With my short hair flying in the win, I made a run for safety before a sibling argument commenced.

* * *

_Thursday, April 14__th__ 4:11 pm_

I retrieved my Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and waited in our rented room for Sam's return. The blond midget didn't come for a full ten minutes, so I indulged myself in watching Zorro and Sir Edwin argue in loud tones.

"Scyther!" Zorro crossed his blades stubbornly, regarding Sir Edwin as if he had just turned into a wad of compost. "Scy!"

Sir Edwin ruffled his feathers in that generic way, and puffed up his chest to possibly show off macho. "Hoot!"

"You guys are hilarious." I earned glares from them both, but the two eventually went back to arguing about who knows what. Spykes watched them curiosity from my lap while Levina rolled her eyes like an agitated sister. "I know how you feel, Lev." I sympathetically patted Levina on the shoulder.

She smiled back, but soon went back to rolling her eyes once voices began rising in volume for the guys. "Elekid!"

Soon, Sam waltzed in, thankfully, looking less furious than before. He was eating a bag of chips, and he made an obvious effort to smile as he began unpacking a few of his belongings. Zorro and Sir Edwin were quick to shut up, probably able to read his emotions or something. I stared at him for awhile, before he finally explained himself.

"Being confused in the middle of nowhere is not an easy thing to get over, Gwen. It felt like some crazy hangover."

"You know what it's like to have a hangover?" I asked automatically.

As was customary, Sam ignored that and went on. "Kim took that Teddiursa. She's going to train her and everything, which will be pretty easy and worthwhile for her. She is a Pokémon breeder and everything." Sam gave a careless shrug. "Anyway, I'm sorry for being a grouch. Blah, blah, blah. We should retire for the evening and we can go kill your brother tomorrow."

Without another word, Sam kicked off his shoes and buried himself underneath the covers of his bed.

* * *

_April 15__th__, Friday 11:27 am_

"They're so serious about their tournaments." I muttered, as we hurried to a wide battlefield surrounded by crowds of pre teens. The battlefield was composed of several surrounding ones, with a main office smacked in the very middle. According to Nurse Joy, people generally rented out the space for competitions all the time.

Sam agreed with me. "You'd think this was the actual Pokémon League. But, it's not!"

I scanned the crowd for Aaron, but there was no sign of him. "Where the heck is he?"

"Look at the actual battlers."

My hazel eyes went wide, taking in the smirk on the face of a kid who had a Magmar and a Venamoth battling it out for him. "Ugh!" I groaned, although I was glad that we had finally found my cocky, aggravating brother.

Aaron faced off against a buff looking thirteen year old with such ease and confidence, it made me feel more worried for my own future battling. He was so in sinc with his Pokémon, I could only think of my relationship with Zorro with ill disguised envy.

"Smokescreen isn't going to work much, Brian!" Aaron smirked when his opponent's Charmeleon's next move flooded the field completely with a hazy black substance. I couldn't make out a single thing going on, yet my brother remained confident. "Venice, Silver Wind!"

Faint cries could be heard from within the smoke, although they were eventually drowned out by the sudden flapping of wings and the cheers erupting from the audience. Silver Wind seemingly dissolved the smoke, revealing everything that had been going on.

Aaron's Magmar was throwing punches, keeping the foe's Charmeleon away from an extremely tough Venamoth. The opponent's other a Pokémon, a Poliwrath, was stumbling his way towards Venice the Venamoth, looking extremely disoriented.

"Poli!" his roars were very weak, though the Ice Punch he sent in Venice's direction was even worse.

Venice flew out of the way and did Silver Wind once more, sending Poliwrath stumbling. "Moth!"

"You're going to have to do better than that, Brian!" Still looking pleased with himself, Aaron was definitely gaining more of an ego.

His opponent, Brian, glared at him, though it seemed like this wasn't the first time he had battled with my brother. He looked pretty steamed, and I wondered if he would be willing to hold Aaron down while Sam and I threw punches. He seemed buff enough.

Brian ordered long distance moves, which his Charmeleon and Poliwrath obeyed with Flamethrower and Water Pulse respectively. "Dodge that, Jenkins!"

Venice and Morty the Magmar were certainly dodging that, and the misses were only boosting Aaron's ego more. Oh, did waves of childhood memories crash their way through my mind.

"We're calling each other by our surnames now?" Aaron feigned a hurt look, looking on with glee while Morty unleashed a Thunderpunch onto Charmeleon. "Thought we were better friends than that, _Earnest_!"

Forget holding Aaron down. Brian looked like the type to do the actual hitting.

"Aaron is such a pain!" I declared, shaking my head while the battle ensued.

Sam patted me on the back. "He sure is, Jenkins. He sure is." Still, Sam was watching the fight with interest. "Do you think the ego will rub off on you?"

Trying to wait patiently for the battle to end was making me restless. I aimed a nice kick at Sam, but he conveniently dodged.

* * *

_April 15__th__, Friday 11:48 am_

According to the referee who judged the fight, there was still one day to go before the actual end of the tournament. My brother was headed to the final round, and would be facing off against some athletic looking redhead on Saturday.

I didn't really care, although it meant that we would soon be dragging him back to Goldenrod City.

Sam and I pushed our way through the crowd of loud, obnoxious teens. We managed to hurry through, and found Aaron chatting away to an irritated Brian and a kid who I recognized from New Bark Town.

"Ellie is hot, hands down." My brother ran a hand through his wavy golden-brown hair, and he kept glancing at a trio of girls who watched them with wide eyes. "That red hair is a sure win! If I defeat her tomorrow, she just might go out with me."

Recognizable kid-Mitchell something or other-scoffed and flashed a maniacal grin. "She thinks you're a hotshot idiot. Ellie would sooner go out with a Slugma."

"With good reason, too." Brian glanced at the trio of giggly girls with obvious distaste.

"Don't hate me for winning, pal." Aaron flashed the giggly girls with a smirk. "I won fair and square. Right, ladies?"

The leader, a tall blonde girl, smiled and blushed. "Of course, Aaron!"

Great! Now Aaron had his own fan club! Ten points to his ego!

"Where's my fan club?" Mitchell teased. I remembered him vaguely as being an annoying friend of Aaron. The kind who always made lame jokes. I wondered if I could punch him while we were taking our frustration out on Aaron.

Brian was someone who I was liking more and more when he continued muttering sane words. "Those frivolous brain dead chicks aren't a fan club."

"You can say that again!" I decided to finally make myself heard amongst these twelve and thirteen year olds. All six older kids set their eyes on me, and Aaron's widened with surprise. I decided to play the innocent card. "Hi, Aaron! Remember me?"

Was it just me or did Aaron actually look irritated by my presence. "Gwen…you're here…"

It was so gratifying, to stand before him. He was speechless, and made me feel pleased. Aaron obviously didn't want me around his friends or his fan club.

"Yes." I smiled smugly. "I am."

Blonde giggly girl looked me up and down. Whether she thought I was an Aaron groupie or his past girlfriend was very confusing. But, she smiled widely when she recognized me to be too young and not threatening enough to steal her precious crush away.

"Aw! She's so cute!" Blonde girl smiled at Aaron, and I seriously felt like puking. "Is this your little sister, Aaron?"

For a brief moment, his former cockiness flashed all bright when he replied, "Yeah, sure is. My baby sister."

I couldn't help but burst my cheerful façade to glare at him angrily. I brought a smile back to my face, and decided to ask some choice words. "Are you his girlfriend?" I made my question as innocent and sugar sweet as possible.

My plan succeeded. Blonde girl's giggly pals began blushing furiously, as did blonde girl herself. Mitchell began chuckling like a fiend (I so wanted to punch him) while Brian actually cracked a smile. Aaron on the other hand looked ready to either make a run for it or to just go with the flow.

He settled for plan B. "I'm single at the present moment, sis." Playing it extremely cool, Aaron flashed a cocky smirk, and tousled his hair once more.

"What a moron!" Standing beside me, Sam whispered furiously to me. Aaron was too busy sending his fan girls more grins to hear him. "He's even more of an idiot than before."

"Yeah? Well don't tell him that until his butt is in Goldenrod City." I whispered back, rolling my eyes with disgust. "And, anyway, he's only been traveling for like three months. How does he have fan girls?"

Brian must've heard us, because his beady blue eyes gave us a curious look. "Three months? I've been battling your brother for nearly two years. He's been traveling in my home region and everything." Brian glared at my brother's turned away head.

Nearly two years? That got me seriously thinking. Was Brian mistaken or horrible with math? Or, had my brother been sneaking away to be a trainer for awhile?

"What is your home region?" Sam interjected, interrupting the conclusion I had come to.

"Kanto." Brian said.

Kanto. Why did Kanto sound so likely…Then, it hit me. Nearly two years ago, Aaron _did_ flock off to a summer camp that had definitely been located in the Kanto region. My parents had looked through a bunch of cheesy brochures, and they had even gone on website more than a dozen times before they gave him consent to go.

There was definitely a connection. Had Aaron seriously been challenging gyms behind my parents' backs? It wasn't much of a crime, especially since it was completely legal for him to do so. And, it wasn't extremely unlike him to pull something like that off. Despite the final concluding thought, I couldn't bring myself to feel astounded or surprised.

Aaron Jenkins had pretty much pulled off an Aaron Jenkins. That was my brother for you.

"He's really enjoying himself." Sam said, watching Aaron continue to tousle his hair and flash smiles. "We might need a secret weapon to get him back to Goldenrod City." His serious grey eyes bore into mine. "Any suggestions?"

Yes, there was definitely something worthy here. I met Sam's stare straight on with superior hazel irises. "Blackmail."

* * *

_April 15__th__, 12:14 pm_

"What do you want, squirts?" Towering over me at a tall height, Aaron looked down at me with a small look of annoyance, in between gulping down a soda in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. He planned on meeting with his fan girls at a restaurant, along with his two buddies. But at the present time, he was chilling. Without any people from his social life, he was pretty much free to act like the cocky idiot he was to me.

I remained calm and superior. I had information that would prove to be interesting to my parents, and Aaron didn't even know it yet. "You need to come back with us to Goldenrod City."

"For sure!" For once, Sam was actually playing the supportive friend. He sat beside me with a defiant look, backing me up loyally.

"Says who?" Aaron turned away from us to casually eye a pair of fourteen year old girls who were chatting animatedly to Nurse Joy.

"Says the skeleton in your closet!" I made my tone as aggressive as possible, though iot all came out making me sound like a psycho pirate.

I made Aaron confused. "What?"

And, I made Sam irritated. "Don't use literary quotes if you don't know how to use them! Leave that for Mallory to do!" he hissed, although his glare was directed on Aaron. "Whitney hates you, and now she hates us. _You_ have to fix this!"

"Says who?" Aaron repeated, stubbornly.

I opened my mouth, but Sam beat me to the punch. "Says Gwen's mom when she finds out the system going down here!"

"What?" Aaron was looking Sam up and down as if he had never seen the kid before. "I'm not part of the mafia, Sammy 'ol kid. But, getting back to the real "issue", I have no authority hanging over me out here. I'll be twelve and a half in a couple more months. The ladies love me. I'm awesome at battling, if I do say so myself." Aaron grinned. "Life is good."

"Not for us." I said, glaring.

"That's not my problem, Gwennie."

"It will be, Mr. I-totally-just-started-my-journey-four-months-ago." Not the cleverest of insults, but it was the best I could do. Right now, my fists felt like doing more talking than my tongue did. "Solve the problem in Goldenrod, or I'll_"

Aaron quit looking casual. He gazed at me with a surprisingly serious gaze, propping up his head with his elbows. "You'll do what?" He was egging me on. He really was, I swear.

"I'll tell Mom _everything." _I hated resorting to tattling, but Aaron wasn't leaving me with much of a variety.

"What exactly is there to tell our dear mother?" He was still playing the innocent card. Was he really oblivious?

"She'll find it interesting to hear how you actually traveled through Kanto nearly two years ago." I rubbed my hands together, feeling like a mob boss. "She'll also find it interesting to hear how you lied to her and shattered the trust she has in you. Dad will, too. And, so will Granny and Colin. It'll be the Jenkins life story to tell all the grandkids."

Aaron wasn't quick to shatter his cool guy image, but being his sister of ten years, I knew his insecure and worried side when I saw it. The way he nervously tugged at the leg of his jeans. The way he pretty much failed to look me straight on with eyes that pretty much matched mine. And, the way he finally sighed and managed a lazy grin.

"You'd really tell her?" He seemed to actually find this all humorous. "You? Of all people?" He shook his head and chuckled. He was taking this better than I thought. "I always knew that you'd find out eventually. You're smarter than you think." He sighed again. "Guess I'll have to deal with Whitney."

Sam jumped up eagerly. "Great! Let's get going."

"Excuse me?" Aaron gave Sam a bemused look. "I'm not leaving _today. _I have a date with three cuties, and another one with a pretty redhead tomorrow. I'm not leaving today or tomorrow, Sammy."

I already figured that out on my own, but I silently applauded Sam for trying. "Well, do we get a bit of compensation for this? I mean, you wouldn't want us tagging along with you on your date."

"Hell, no I don't!" My brother was using crude language now. Why wasn't I surprised? Aaron flung an envelope at me, which I caught. "Split the money and leave me alone. Both of you. Do whatever you want. Just don't bug me, talk to my dates, or do anything that could ruin my reputation." Quick to get away from us, Aaron practically scrammed out of the room.

"What reputation does he have?" Sam said aloud, looking peeved.

"Being a pain?" There was nothing more to it. But, the compensation money proved to be a hefty amount. "Let's go buy some cool stuff. Maybe we can pick out a paintball gun, to shoot him down with?" It sounded like a plan, in my humble opinion.

* * *

**And, finally, we have Aaron in the picture. Anyone who reads Harry Potter can probably draw slight similarities between him and James Potter. The tendency to tousle hair, the cockiness, the infatuation with a redhead. Anyone think so? No?**

**Moving on, I'd like to say that I'm truly appreciative for the reviews and readers. It's a joy to write on this site, when it's not being disagreeable. And, it's pretty much a joy to get criticism, harsh and helpful alike. I hope that everyone continues to enjoy the story, especially since I enjoy writing it **


	24. Comfort the Machop and Make Him Cry

**Chapter 24: Comfort the Machop And Make Him Cry**

_April 15__th__, Friday 2:04 pm_

"Okay, are you positive that your brother didn't rob a bank or something?" After receiving a shopping bag from the bored cashier, Sam chose to ask me the same question that I had been pondering on. "I mean, a twelve year old boy handed us lowly ten year olds more than three thousand dollars each like it was nothing. Does that sound suspicious, or am I just a little paranoid?"

I grinned. "It sounds pretty suspicious to me, but you're definitely more than just a _little _paranoid, Samuel."

Sam must not have cared about being immature in the middle of a department store full of shopping adults and teens. "I've come to the conclusion, that as a young man, I should not hit girls." He said it with such a serious tone; I actually thought that maybe he did care. Boy, was I wrong! "Blossom, be a gal and slap her silly for me."

Blossom the Chikorita, who had lately been skipping by Sam's side, instantly began glaring at me murderously. The usually sickeningly adorable Grass-type looked seriously threatening, especially once she began baring her teeth at me like some rapid Bidoof. And, if that wasn't a cue to start running, her next move was.

"Chikor!" I flew behind a display of postcards for cover when the leaf atop her head began smacking in my direction. "Chika!"

I shrieked as an entire volley of Razor Leaf was unleashed on me, but I managed to duck under one of those summer lawn chair sale displays. I couldn't stop trembling from pure adrenaline and actual fear. When the fudge did Chikorita become so gosh darn scary? No one answered my question. Instead, I discovered that I would have a hatred for that Pokémon species, especially when Blossom came charging towards me with Tackle.

"Oh, heck no!" I snatched a spatula from a top one of the store's barbeque grills, and smacked Blossom right across the head.

She slid onto the tile. Instead of crying like the spoiled brat that she was, Blossom actually leaped onto her feet. She struck out with her leaf again, and it was clear that she was going straight for the kill.

While I continued ducking and dodging moves, I was quite aware of shoppers beginning to stare at the scene taking place. If I wasn't so worried about death by Chikorita, I may have felt some emberassment. And, if I wasn't too busy trying to stay ahead of Blossom, I may have actually aimed to get Sam hit with his own medicine.

Before running down an aisle lined with sportswear, I caught sight of the blond laughing manically. Oh, how I honestly wished that Mallory was here! She would make a fantastic meat shield!

"Sam, call the beast off!" I cried, running out of one aisle and into another. I didn't hear Sam's highly unhelpful response, but I did catch sight of something useful hanging on a shelf in the gardening aisle. I dodged another Vine Whip, and eagerly grabbed hold of the savior of a weapon.

As I turned to face Blossom with the item raised, I found myself feeling a tinge of guilty pleasure at the sight of fear in her crimson irises. "Chika!"

Yep. That's right. I had a weed whacker in my hands, and I wasn't afraid to use it.

"Take that you little cretin!" I jabbed the weed whacker in Blossom's direction, and she backed up. "Get back! You understand?" The weapon was that effective without actually turning on, and eventually, signs of fear disappeared from Blossom's expressions.

We were back to rage. "Chikor!"

I abandoned the useless gardening tool on a shelf in a clothing aisle, but I honestly didn't care. I wedged through a forest of tall metal racks that bore clothing of all colors, keeping my frightened hazel eyes peeled for the psycho Grass-type.

Fear had me so busy, that I didn't even notice the person in front of me until I had already collided into them. I quickly drew back and muttered apologies, before recognizing the said person to be my obnoxious brother.

"Aaron!" I must've looked crazier than I felt, running through a mall like a kindergartener.

My brother gave me a quizzical look. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Um, uh…" How was I supposed to explain anything? "It's a long story?"

Aaron definitely surprised me by pulling me down into a crouch as several sharp edged leaves whizzed right above our heads. As we crawled under a shopping rack for cover, he gave me look that clearly said that he was deeply amused. "A Chikorita is trying to murder you."

"Okay, so maybe it's not long." I poked my head out, and didn't see Blossom anywhere. "Oh my gosh! I'm going to kill Sam."

"Don't tell me." I turned back and groaned while Aaron struggled to get words out through a laugh. "You mean, that's the shrimp's Chikorita? My Arceus, Gwen! That's like pure gold."

"More like pure craziness." I inhaled sharp whiffs of breath, relieved to be able to stop and breathe. I grabbed a water bottle from my belt, and took a swig. As I reclipped it, I began realizing just how dumb I could be. I had _two _Pokéballs on my belt, containing Levina and Spykes. I may have left Zorro and the unofficial Sir Edwin in our room at the Pokémon Center, but I had Pokémon on me. I grabbed Spykes' Pokeball and released my loyal Cyndaquil. "I can sure be a moron sometimes."

Aaron quit snickering and actually looked serious. "Sometimes must be now. You're going to have your squirt of a Cyndaquil use Ember? Do you want to be sued for arson?"

What? I couldn't help but feel really confused. "What's arson?"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "It's what you call the idiot who decides to set fire to buildings, you amateur." Aaron expertly withdrew two Pokéballs from his pockets. After doing his usual tousling of his wavy hair, he gave me a grin. "You go run along. I'll handle Sammy and his Chikorita. You can count on it, sis."

"Uh, how?" I asked, feeling pretty concerned for Sam and Blossom's wellbeing.

"Nothing you need to worry about. It's been awhile since I've felt okay intimidating a kid." Aaron exited out of the rack, with me following him close behind.

"Aaron?" Oh, how I did not like the his careless tone. "What are you going to do?"

"Let me just put it this way, Gwennie." Aaron gave me a frightening smirk. "I want to see how tall and bold your buddy really is. Sam is going to be in the battle of his life. Now, go to another mall or something. The coast is clear right now."

And, while my brother's retreating back eagerly hurried off, I made a straight run for it. To the exit!

* * *

_April 15__th__, Friday 3:01 pm_

More or less, I actually listened to Aaron. Well, kind of.

I didn't stick around at Marigold City's second mall. After purchasing some extra Pokéballs, a couple of snacks, and some cool stuff, and after retrieving Zorro and Sir Edwin from the Pokémon Center, I made my way onto a peaceful, old route. I had my eyes on the lookout for wild Pokémon, especially since I was in need and demand of a new one.

Underneath a tree that seemed to be attracting some lovely breezes, I sat back and let my own Pokémon stretch their legs a bit. There weren't many interesting Pokémon lurking about. Just your usual Spearow, Sentret, and Bellsprout.

"I need a Fighting-type." I told Levina, who proceeded into showing off her Low Kick. "A really good one, too. I mean, Whitney doesn't seem like much, but I've learned that underestimating people gets you nowhere. I mean, look at Bugsy!"

Levina agreed, albeit without actual words. She simply nodded and patted my arm while I ranted on about the craziness that was Pokémon journeys. She eventually grew bored however, and took to arguing with a wild Mareep over the rights to a Persim berry bush.

"No one gets me!" I cried to no one in particular. Instead of receiving consoling from Spykes, who was busy showing off his fiery quills to a trio of Sentret, I received an understanding look from Sir Edwin. He obviously ruffled his feathers and nodded to me, as if to say "I feel your pain."

"Hoot!" He offered.

"Out of curiosity, do you want me to catch you in a Pokeball or something?"

He was little too quick to shake his head for my taste. "Hoothoot!"

"Yeah, whatever…" I took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie, which was one of the many teeth rotting confections that I had nabbed from stores. "Just keep a look out for Fighting-types, okay?"

His response was another ruffling of feathers.

After stuffing my face with four cookies, three candy bars, a chocolate croissant, and a pint of sweet chocolate milk, I got my lazy butt up and finally began physically looking for a fourth member to the team. I left Zorro and Sir Edwin to watch my belongings and Spykes, who was still showing off the only moves that he knew.

I kept Levina by my side, but I didn't bore her with anymore of my rants. She was already looking peeved because of her earlier squabble with a Mareep. I hadn't been paying attention enough to it to know what exactly had gone on, and I wasn't about to risk my life asking her about it. Besides, she would either have to do weirdo sign language or speak through the Hoothoot who could write words in English to get me to understand anything.

I pushed my way through the thick overgrowth of a scraggly hedge, and groaned loudly when a branch caught onto my hair. Wow! I was getting annoyed easily. I freed myself from the hedge's grasp, but I still came out on the other side with plenty of twigs and leaves covering me. I looked as if I had just gotten into a wrestling match with a bush.

Walking farther away from Marigold City, Levina and I met more horrible plants that caught a hold of our hair/fur. It was as if Mother Nature really did have a mind of its own! And, the only Pokémon present were the same common Spearow and Sentret. Was every cool Pokémon out there deliberately avoiding me or something?

Finally, we found a stable path to follow that led around hedges and cruel leafy displays. And, on the sidelines of this said path, we came across a Machop weeping uncontrollably on a crumbly, old log. If I hadn't already met my share of weirdness on my not-so-long Pokémon adventure (mystery girl in Union Cave, Stantler that switch the bodies of humans and Pokémon, Pokémon with weird colored streaks who kept appearing and disappearing) I may have been really taken aback.

I mean, yeah! It's pretty weird to see a muscular lump of a Pokémon sobbing like some cheapo actor in a Lifetime movie, but I just wasn't as surprised as I could've been. I was mainly wondering why the thing was crying, and why it was sitting out in the open for all to see.

The Machop didn't seem to notice as we walked past. It didn't even glance up as I paused and stared at it for a half second. Would it go crazy if I tried to comfort it? Would it also go crazy if I questioned it? And would it maybe go crazy if I ignored it and carried on with my day?

I didn't know.

Close by, two Furret snickered and pointed at the Machop with looks of glee. I wondered if throwing a rock at them would be too uncalled for. I didn't even know the current situation. The Machop could've been a big bully who the Furret were now getting back at. I didn't understand Pokémon speech, so I couldn't decipher the words that they chattered to each other under the snickering.

The bully scenario proved to be inaccurate a moment after I thought it. To my surprise, Levina began winding her arms up, and sent a thick spray of Swift unto the twin Normal-types. The Furret were struck with the rays, and scurried off, dumbfounded.

"Kid!" she did her usual fist pump before flashing a triumphant smile.

After having her around for nearly a month, I think I knew Levina well enough. She wouldn't have attacked the snickerers if they had simply gotten back at mean Machop. But, she would definitely retaliate if they were the actual bullies of the area.

"Um, good job?" I bit my lip without thinking, but felt a little proud for my Pokémon's actions. I glanced at the Machop who had finally looked up. Its eyes were red and puffy, and tears were still streaming down its cheeks like some kind of waterfall. "Uh, are you okay?"

It nodded. "Chop…" its speech faltered and more tears gushed out in a tsunami. "CHOP!"

I backed up instinctively. "Uh, okay…" The situation felt awkward to say the least. I had heard of

Fighting-type Pokémon who had the worst tempers. I mean, I didn't know if  
Machop were those specific Pokémon, and I may have been confusing them with Mankey. But, weren't Machoke the ones who went nutso when you made eye contact with them? I definitely didn't know. But, the point was, I didn't know _anything. _I didn't know why Machop was sobbing in the first place, why the Furret were being snickering jerks. I didn't know if it (Machop) would attack me if I tried to comfort it. Heck! I didn't even know its gender!

Good thing I had my Pokédex on me, strapped to my belt. I did customary quick scanning of Machop, learned that it was in fact, a boy, and found a couple of decent enough moves. Brick Break, Focus Energy, and Low Kick. Not bad?

But, for something who had some effective enough Fighting-type moves, the male Machop certainly was a crybaby. He quit sobbing long enough to stare at the ground with mournful eyes. "Machop!"

Levina did more than I was willing to do. She sat down beside him on the log, and slung her arm around his shoulders in a friendly gesture. "Ele."

Boy, did I feel guilty. "Um, here." I fished my very last cookie-a spectacular snickerdoodle-from my pocket, and held it out in Machop's direction. I loved snickerdoodles. I always thought of them as the fairy cookies that were powered by cinnamon spirits. Kind of geeky, but it was how Aaron used to describe them when we were way younger. If my final cookie didn't cheer Machop up, what would?

"Chop?" he accepted the giant cookie and gave me a nod that seemed grateful. "Chop." He stared down at the cookie, and continued blinking tears out of his eyes. I was beginning to wonder if it would be a complete waste, when he actually began chewing it, slowly I might add. Tears poured out of his eyes more as he finally swallowed the last bit. Good bye, snickerdoodle.

I smiled shyly, hoping that I would be met with one, "Uh, do you feel better?"

"Chop…" And out of nowhere, the Machop ran at me and wrapped his arms around my waist in a hug. "Chop, chop! Machop, chop, chop!"

After getting over the shock of having something practically charge me, I patted him squarely on the back. "It's okay…dude. You'll be fine. Honest!"

"Chop?" Machop pulled away from me and gave me a question, tearful look.

I nodded. "Yeah!"

"Machop…" He hung his head, but thankfully, tears ceased to fall.

I definitely felt better about all of this. "Um, yeah…" I sure didn't feel like looking for Pokémon anymore. My mood was ruined to say the least. What if there were just more Furret jerks? My opinion of those Normal-types was ruined for the time being. "Uh, well, good luck, dude!" I retreated back to where my belongings and Pokémon were as fast as I could walk with Levina close behind me.

* * *

_April 15__th__, Friday 4:11 pm_

I felt bad, leaving Machop to fend for himself. But, I didn't have to feel guilty for very long. Upon arriving back at the tree, I discovered that I had more than just Levina tagging along with me. Still seeming extremely sullen, Machop looked at Zorro, Sir Edwin, and Spykes with interest.

"I don't have any more snickerdoodles, dude." I said, putting my hands up in defense.

"Chop." Machop shook his head at me, and pointed at my belt.

"Wait, what?" I pulled an empty Pokeball free and held up. "You want me to capture you? Don't you have a family or something? Friends, maybe?"

Because he looked prepared to begin weeping again, and because Zorro looked purely disgusted, I decided to cut to the chase. I threw the Pokeball, the red light engulfed Machop, and he was captured, almost instantly.

"A fourth capture." I muttered, picking up the latest addition to the team.

"Scy!" Zorro crossed his scythes and rolled his eyes at me.

"Oh, come on!" I cried, clipping the Pokeball to my belt. "I'm not about to just ditch him here! I mean, I kind of did, back there. But, I ended up making up for it, right?" I glanced at Levina who gave me a supportive nod. "Right?" Spykes patted me on the foot with his teeny paws. "Right?"

Sir Edwin did nothing more than ruffle his feathers, with a confusing hoot thrown in. "Hoot!"

* * *

_April 15__th__, Friday 4:28 pm_

My initial plan upon arriving back in Marigold City had been to head right to the Pokémon Center. However, there was a slight change of plans. I discovered a crowd of people surrounding the nearby mall, with a few police cars scattered amongst the people. Being the curious girl that I was, I instinctively jogged over to see what was up.

"Isn't this the same mall where that darn Chikorita attacked me?" I inquired to myself. My mental question was answered right away.

Standing side by side next to a police car with pleased smiles on their faces were Aaron, Sam, and Aaron's annoying buddy, Mitchell. Officer Jenny appeared to be lecturing them, and was writing notes down in her little notepad.

I took note of the angry looking shopkeepers who glared at the trio with disdain. What on earth had they done?

Brian was in the crowd too, shaking his head with disapproval. And, very near the police car, were Aaron's trio of fangirls, who giggled with glee at the sight. Something told me that a criminal record was only going to boost my brother's ego.

As I took in the mall itself (why were there broken windows and scorch marks?) I wondered whether it would be the right idea to walk up and ask what had happened. I would probably be connected to Aaron and Sam, and I would probably be questioned too. Now, did I want that?

Two words; heck, no!

Sam met my eyes for a brief five seconds, enough for him to grin and give me a thumbs up. I shook my head, turned around, and made a desperate dash for the Pokémon Center. I was not about to get mixed up in whatever crap they had decided to do.

* * *

**It took me two weeks to finally update, but I'm glad that I got around to it. I had quite a bit of fun writing this chapter, and I hope that everyone present has fun reading it. **

**Anyway, I probably won't update for awhile. Blame the fact that school is starting up soon for me. I'm one of the lucky kids who don't go back to school until September, but I'm still one of the unlucky kids who still **_**have **_**to go to school at all. Sigh…**

**Enjoy the remainder of awesome breaks, everyone! Survive school, and as always, leave a lovely review with concrit, opinions, and whatever else one can think up. Good luck, and until next time-**

**-Au revoir, readers!**


	25. How's This Possible?

**Chapter 25: How's This Possible?**

_April 16__th__, Saturday 11:08 am_

Long story short; Officer Jenny prohibited the three mischief makers from ever leaving the town Pokémon Center. Until their respective parents and/or legal guardians arrived to deal with the charges against them, that is.

"I can pay for the charges, officer." Aaron told the firm woman in a sweet tone. "I have enough money, you know."

Officer Jenny wasn't amused. "I'm sure you do. Perhaps you'll have enough to bribe your parents if they choose to ground you until you're forty."

Mitchell insisted in his annoyingly shrill voice. "But, officer, we're all above the legal age for traveling. Aaron and I are twelve, and Sam's ten. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Rolling her dark eyes, Officer Jenny regarded them with obvious irritation. "Ten is the legal age for traveling and for the acquiring of a job. It's a law carried out in the entirety of the Johto region, along with the surrounding regions. However, your parents are still responsible for you, until you reach the age of twenty one. You have nine more years to go, kid."

"What exactly did they do?" I asked, looking the three of them up and down with disdain.

Officer Jenny focused some of her attention on me. "Who are you?"

"Uh…" I hesitated, not wanting to take any responsibility for their actions, whatever they may have been. "Uh, well…"

"She's my sister!" Aaron said in a loud voice, grinning from ear to ear.

"And my best friend!" Sam piped in, grinning just as widely.

"Yeah, and she's my best friend's sister!" Always the follower, Mitchell joined them in grinning.

I stood there, frozen to the spot, contemplating on whether to run, faint, or smash their grinning faces into oblivion. Meanwhile, Officer Jenny looked me up and down, but seeing no fault (I hoped), she gave me what appeared to be a look of sincere sympathy.

"Well, for starters, they trashed two clothing stores, a boutique, and a candy shop." Officer Jenny explained, leafing through a pocket sized blue notepad. "Oh, and they flooded a hair salon, and nearly destroyed a shoe store."

"Did not!" Aaron protested. "We didn't nearly do anything. We simply did. So, we did destroy a shoe store."

I stared at him wide eyed. "Are you freaking insane?"

Officer Jenny cleared her throat, and my attention returned to her. "As I was saying, they also completely shattered windows and set benches on fire with the aid of their Pokémon. From what the surveillance cameras and eye witnesses tell me, they also dressed themselves in secondhand prom dresses and battled each other in the food court."

"You're joking!" I cried, blinking my eyes.

"I wish I was." Officer Jenny mumbled. "Anyway, until their parents arrive, they'll be under arrest here."

Aaron whistled and leaned back on the couch. "Twelve years old and already arrested. I wonder what our dear mother would say."

"Well, wonder no longer!" I whipped my head around and felt my blood freeze into ice at the very sight of my mother. She was marching towards us, her high heels clicking against the floor and her dark waves of hair bouncing with each step. I absently noticed her loyal Roserade trailing after her, looking just as peeved as my mother.

Wondering if my heart would soon break through my chest, I turned back to Aaron, who looked just as shell shocked as I felt.

"M-mom?" Aaron cried in a voice that lacked his usual confidence and flair.

My mother stood right next to me, surveying him with narrowed blue eyes. "That's right." She took full notice of me after a brief second, and I shrank back, awaiting a scolding tangent. I appeared to not be on her naughty list, since she smiled at me. "Oh, Gwen, honey, you had absolutely nothing to do with this, I'm sure."

I couldn't have nodded my head any quicker. "Of course not!"

She nodded approvingly before turning back to my brother with a piercing look. "I can't say the same for you can I?"

Aaron didn't respond. He only gulped, much to my faint entertainment.

"Aaron Warren Jenkins, do you have any idea how large of a bill we'll have to pay for the damages?"

"That's all Officer Jenny has been saying." Looking angry now, Aaron gestured to the royal blue clad officer. "I've got the money to pay for my part of the damage."

"Do you have money for my part?" Mitchell wanted to know. "Cuz, I'm broke, dude!"

Aaron chose this time to grin at his longtime friend. "Well, duh! It was my idea in the first place."

"Yes, and like a Mareep, my son followed you along like a mindless zombie." I whipped my head around to see Mitchell's mom stomping forward, with Mitchell's short, bespectacled father right behind her. "Seriously, Mitchell?"

Mitchell shrugged his skinny shoulders. "It sounded like fun."

"And it was!" Aaron agreed.

"Aaron!" Mom had her arms crossed. "This is serious."

"You bet is." Mitchell's mother said, turning to Mom. "It's serious to know that you've raised a child to think that trashing malls is part of entertainment."

"Oh, so you're blaming me?"

"Well, I most certainly can't blame the preteen boy, can I?" Mitchell's mother's face was serious. "He's only doing what his upbringing told him to do."

"Allison, being a psychologist doesn't entitle you to make assumptions about my son or how Daryl and I chose to raise him." My mother's voice was deadly calm, and her expression told me that she was close to snapping. "I believe we should more or less question the fact that your son chose to follow my son with his antics. What sort of example are you setting for your kids, might I ask?"

Mitchell's mother was still at it. "Last time I checked, Charlotte, you weren't an attorney involved with family court. You dealt with the juvies. And, furthermore, didn't you give up law practice for homemaking? A wrong choice I might add."

"Uh, dear?" Mitchell's father put his hand on her arm, but she shrugged him off.

"I personally believe that it was a wrong choice for you to get yourself knocked up in high school, Allison. Maybe that affected your son's upbringing?"

I tuned out of their heated conversation, and scanned the lobby. We were, thankfully, the only people present, but that was enough for embarrassment. Officer Jenny was looking on at the arguers with an almost bored expression, whereas both Mitchell and Aaron were exchanging sheepish looks.

Sam, on the other hand, was sitting back on the couch, watching the glass doors of the Pokémon Center with some sort of glee. "Wow! When's my mom going to show up?"

He flashed a toothy grin at me, and I sighed. Without saying another word, I hurried out of the Pokémon Center, leaving the crazies far behind me.

* * *

_April 16__th__, Saturday 11:42 am_

Seated on a bench overlooking one of Marigold City's battlefields, I watched the older kids training and goofing off upon it. Spykes and Levina sat next to me, while Bricks lingered on my other side, purposefully avoiding both Sir Edwin and Zorro.

The two had taken to antagonizing him, both in their own individual ways. Sir Edwin did so by jabbering away to him about unknown things, all the while flapping his wings vigorously when he felt that Bricks wasn't paying attention. Zorro, on the other hand, chose to leer at Bricks, and threw random glares his way when he thought I wasn't looking.

"That's they're way of being friendly," I told Bricks, hoping that my voice was reassuring. "You can't take what they do or say to heart."

Bricks just looked up at me with big Machop eyes, before heaving a sigh. He stared down at his feet, looking downcast.

I kind of felt the same way; downcast, I mean.

Aaron and Mitchell were either watching the moms argue, or they were being scolded. And, depending on whether or not, Mrs. Wilson had shown up, Sam was either being scolded or just waiting to join in on the fun known as being lectured to and handed a punishment.

Thinking about it all was making my head spin, and my stomach filled with dread. The whole point of coming to Marigold City was to nab my brother and get to him to reason with Whitney. Yet, here we were, and Sam was crewing it all up, as was Aaron. And Mitchell.

"Why me?" I asked aloud to no one.

Levina looked up at me with an expression of both puzzlement and concern. "Ele?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing that you need to be worried with, Lev. Why don't you go play with Zorro and Sir Edwin?"

Levina gave me a rather pointed look, and gestured to the two aforementioned Pokémon with a yellow paw. "Elekid."

Zorro was currently lurking and sulking in the shadows of some bleachers, his eyes narrowed at the current trainers training their Pokémon. Meanwhile, Sir Edwin was hobbling around on his one visible leg, and appeared to be screeching at random kids for the heck of it.

The only ones 'playing' were Spykes and Bricks, who had abandoned the bench for a small, unorganized game of what appeared to be "Who Can Break the Most Sticks with a Single Attack?". It wasn't going well, since Spykes kept setting sticks on fire while Bricks kept cringing at the sight of flames.

"I've got such epic Pokémon!" I cried, sarcasm dripping from my tone. Levina gave me another pointed look, so I quickly took back what I said. "I didn't really mean that, honest!"

Levina didn't appear satisfied. She seemed downright irritated, and with good reason, too. After rolling her eyes at me, she trotted off to comfort a spooked Spykes and a cowering Bricks.

My day of depression was officially complete if my most loyal ally had chosen to abandon me.

Distressed, I rested my head on my propped up elbows and heaved one monotonous sigh. "Best day ever."

"You okay?" I looked up to see a girl sitting herself down on the bench in front of my own. She had to at least be twelve, with red hair pulled back in a windblown bun and an cool blue outfit. A Hitmontop sat down beside her, and regarded me with curiosity.

"Huh?" I said, unremarkably.

The girl sighed and smiled. "I was wondering if you were okay. You seem pretty, well, crestfallen, for lack of a better word."

Her Hitmontop nodded in agreement. "Top!"

I shrugged. "My days have been pretty rotten lately."

"I hear ya." The girl nodded. "My week's been pretty rough too. I've been training my butt off for the latest city tournament and I've had to deal with obnoxious people."

"Same here!" I practically shrieked. "My best friend, my brother, and my brother's best friend, to name a few."

"Are the best friend's guys?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, most of the morons I've been dealing with are dudes too." The girl tucked loose strands of red hair behind her ear and glared up at the sky, as if it were to blame. "Like there's this one jerk of a guy named Aaron who I had to battle today in this tournament. Except, now the whole thing's been canceled because his mom's grounded him or something. I'm instantly the winner, which is kind of swell, don't get me wrong. But, that means I trained for nothing! Like, seriously?"

I was nodding along with her supportively until a name was mentioned. And even then, I still had to process everything she had just said to fully get who we were talking about. Couldn't my brother go one day without pissing someone off?

"Did you really just say Aaron?" I asked, hesitantly.

The girl nodded. "Yeah, Aaron Jenkins. Do you know him?"

I opted for the oblivious option. "Nah! But, he sounds like a total moronic jerk."

"That's because he is. He won't quit winking at me and he won't quit using pick up lines. I mean, for Arceus' sake! We're only twelve!" she shook her head, and took in a deep breath. Looking at me again, she smiled. "But, never mind my issues. I'm Ellie Walters."

"Ah!" The first name definitely sounded familiar enough. Aaron had to have mentioned her at some point. "I'm Gwen."

"Gwen what?" Ellie asked, curiously.

"Uh…" I mentally debated on whether to lie or just come clean, but I eventually decided to get out of the entire situation. "Was your starter a Tyrogue?" I instead asked, gesturing to her Hitmontop.

Ellie shook her head. "Nah! It was a Charmander, but my grandma sent my Hitmontop to me when I was having difficulties battling the Pewter City gym leader. He's a Rock-type specialist." She added.

"Oh, so you're from Kanto." I felt glad that things were finally running smoothly with something.

"Yep!" Ellie said, proudly.

"Top!" her Hitmontop said, sounding just as proud.

I peered down at my Pokémon, and smiled to see that they were all still present. Levina was watching as Spykes and Bricks continued their stick game, while Sir Edwin was resting on a bench. Zorro was still sulking in his emo corner, which really wasn't new.

I was about to turn back to Ellie when a flash of green caught my eye. I squinted at the tall figure standing close to the battlefield entrance, and took in the green hair and pair of shortalls.

"Mallory?" I stood up, momentarily forgetting Ellie and her Hitmontop.

My eyes still on the figure, I hurried past several bleachers and past Zorro, headed towards the figure. Whoever it was was leaving the battlefield now, and I jogged close behind them.

"Mallory!" I called. The figure kept on walking, but it had to be her. The single green braid, the athletic build, the white shortalls? Who else could it have been? "Mallory!"

I caught up to the person soon enough, and they finally stopped walking. They turned around to face me, and I let out a sharp gasp.

It _was _Mallory, but it was Mallory if she had a pair of eye contacts that made her eyes altered from their usual aqua-blue. They were currently the color of golden amber, a frightening look, in my opinion.

"Mallory?" I said again, looking her up and down.

'Mallory' gave me a look over and smiled. She didn't say a word, but simply cocked her head to side.

"Uh, are you okay?" I asked, feeling a little creeped out.

'Mallory' silently giggled at me before clasping her hands behind her back. She looked at me with those creepy golden eyes, and out of nowhere, extended her hand towards me.

I stared down at it, feeling a familiar flurry of confusion. "Um…" I took her hand, not knowing what the heck was going on. "Mallory?"

Her hand holding mine, she looked me up and down again before doing the most strange and gasp-worthy thing. Her entire body began vibrating, from head to toe. And, as I watched, her appearance shifted and changed into…me.

The long green hair had shrunk and been replaced by choppy, shoulder length brown. The skin tone had darkened to that of olive. Freckles had appeared on her changed face. And, to top it all off, her height was changed to match mine exactly. To make matters worse, the green shirt and white shortalls were gone, replaced by my purple outfit.

My jaw dropped open and my eyes widened as I looked the mirror image up and down. The only think not matching me were the eyes. They were still that same piercing golden. Even so, the entire result was both frightening and unnerving.

"A-am I staring at a doppelganger?" I asked in a small voice. A dumb question, yes, but it was the first thing to pop into my head, besides 'OMG'. I backed away from 'Mallory/Gwen', and snatched my hand away. "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

'Mallory/Gwen' shrugged, which was _sooo_ freaking reassuring. She smiled at me, which was pretty freaking creepy still. The only way I could ever smile at myself was with a mirror present, and there wasn't one around, as far as I knew.

Just to prove a point to myself, I tapped the vacant air between me and my impersonator. Nothing solid was there, that was for certain. But, that didn't do much, except evaporate one theory of sorts.

"Lati!" I froze, and looked over 'Mallory/Gwen's shoulder at the newcomer to this odd affair. It was a boy, who looked at least twelve or thirteen. His hair was ruffled and blue while his eyes were a freaky crimson.

My impersonator appeared surprised by his appearance, but she hurried to his side nonetheless. Her back was to me when I heard a light, feminine voice say, "Brother, it's that girl from the cave! Remember how I led her out of the dark?"

"Uh-huh." A young, boyish voice said. It was coming from the boy, but from what I could see, his mouth was opening at all. "We need to leave. The rockets are here."

"Where do we go now? Will the athlete and shopper help us?"

The boy nodded, but his mouth still remained closed. "They will. Now, get out of that form, will you? It'll make people suspicious!"

And, I stood there, dumbly, as my impersonator's form changed a second time, into a familiar girl with red hair, blue eyes, and a kind expression.

"You're that girl from Union Cave!" I cried, pointing. "Oh my gosh!" I felt my heart beating quick and hard against my chest, and I felt prepared to pass out. "How's this possible?"

The boy looked me in the eyes with his crimson irises. "Anything is possible. Don't tell anyone what you've seen or heard, understand, human?"

I managed a small nod.

"I know she won't." the girl smiled at me. "She's friends with the athlete and shopper. I think we can trust her."

"It's better to know than to think, sister. But, I agree." The boy didn't smile, but remained expressionless.

They said nothing more, but simply vanished, just like that.

"Elekid!"

"Scy!"

"Did you just see that, or was I hallucinating?"

I turned myself around to face the new questions and cries, and found Levina, Zorro, and Ellie standing there. They looked as dumbfounded as I felt.

* * *

**I honestly planned on making this entire chapter longer, but more words came out sounding forced. Instead, that's all for chapter twenty five, folks! I hope that it was enjoyable enough, and please leave a review if you are able.**

**Au revoir, reader/writers!**


	26. Stranger Than Fiction

**Chapter 26: Stranger Than Fiction**

_April 16__th__, Saturday 12:04 pm_

"Um, uh. . ." My mouth felt dry and incoherent. Swallowing hard, I proceeded to form specific words to ease my redheaded acquaintance. "No. You're not hallucinating. Unless I am. Or we both are." Gulping, I looked back at where the two vanishing teenagers once stood. "Or maybe we're coming down with schizophrenia."

I turned back to Ellie. She grinned as if I had just cracked a joke. "Schizophrenia?"

I nodded sheepishly.

She snorted and wiped her eyes. "Wow. Okay. Schizophrenia. It made me just witness two freaky kids vanish into thin air. Freaky _ventriloquist_ kids, I might add."

"V-ventriloquist?" I said in a quivering voice.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah. They had to be, cuz their lips weren't moving." She pursed her lips and stared at the sky. "I don't think they were."

Dazedly, I looked back at the crime scene. Hallucinations? Schizophrenia? Or just a plain old hoax? I had no freaking clue. I didn't see a TV show host popping out of the bushes to notify us that we had just been pranked.

I wasn't really expecting one either, but I looked around expectantly regardless.

"Elekid?" I looked down to see Levina tugging at my Pokéball belt. Her eyes were narrowed in concern and she was frowning prominently. Probably wondering if she was going nuts too.

I patted her on the shoulder steadily. "I have no idea what to make of it either."

A light breeze came past, carrying small leaves and loose blades of grass with it. I stood still with my eyes closed, taking in the breeze and contemplating on what to do next.

I could either stand like lunatic, go to the Pokémon Center and tell my mother all about it, or I could go to the Pokémon Center and forget everything.

As always, I automatically went with option C. Opening my eyes, I turned back to Ellie and told her just that.

"Mind if I come with you?" she asked. Her frown made her resemble a Shroomish.

"Not at all," I said. I took Zorro and Levina's Pokéballs from my belt and returned the two confused Pokémon. "Let me just get my other Pokémon."

Ellie nodded. "Right." She turned back to the long-forgotten battle stadium, and called, "Spinny! Come on! Bring our gear!"

I had no idea who or what 'Spinny' was until I saw Ellie's Hitmontop marching toward us, carrying Ellie's handbag. He handed his trainer her handbag and saluted.

"Top!" Spinny cried before saluting to me.

"Spinny?" I asked in disbelief. That was like nicknaming a Hitmonlee Kicks. Granted with a Cyndaquil name Spykes, I doubted that I really had room to throw marbles. Or whatever that stupid proverb said.

Ellie blushed. "I was a stupid amateur ten-year-old when I got him. Go easy on me." She looked back at the stadium and turned to me with a smile. "I think your Pokémon are coming now."

Peering around Ellie and Spinny, I saw that she was right. Bricks was grinning and walking toward us. Sir Edwin was perched on his shoulders, and Spykes was clinging to the tenacious Hoothoot's head. All three of them brandished thin sticks and looked mighty pleased with themselves.

Any other day of the week I would've been gushing over their cute totem pole. But, at that moment, I just felt tired and a little sick.

When they stopped in front of me, I mustered up a smile for their benefit. No need to rein on their happy parade.

Spykes clambered off of his post and presented me with his stick. "Cynda!"

I smiled and accepted the stick. "Nice."

He grinned and hopped up and down. "Cynda, Cyn!"

Bricks presented me with his slightly longer stick, and managed a shy, "Chop."

I grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "It's nice to see you getting used to the team."

Bricks blushed and stared at the ground. "Chop…"

Sir Edwin appeared to be the only one of them to see right through me sunny mask. After hopping off of Bricks, he glared and ruffled his feathers at me in an obvious hissy fit.

"Hoot!" he said.

"Chill, before I stuff you into a Pokéball!" I said. I returned Bricks and Spykes to their Pokéballs before nodding to Ellie. "Uh, to the Pokémon Center?"

Ellie nodded. "Yes, please." When we began walking, she said, "Your Pokémon are too cute."

"Thanks!" I said, smiling genuinely. It felt nice to have something to smile about.

Sadly, that smile melted into a scowl the moment a certain someone hopped onto my shoulder. "Hoot!"

. . .

_April 16__th__, Saturday 12:18 pm_

My Pokémon weren't in need of healing, so I headed straight to my room upon entering the Pokémon Center. Leaving my Pokémon there, I ran back down the stairs, remembering at once why I had left the Pokémon Center that morning in the first place.

It felt as if it had been at least twelve months since I had last been here.

Upon entering the lobby, I found that Officer Jenny was gone. Appearing to be deep in discussion, my mother, Mitchell's mom, and Mrs. Wilson stood near Nurse Joy's desk.

Sam was tossing an empty Pokéball from side to side and Mitchell was reading what looked to be a very, er, inappropriate magazine. My brother stood close by, chatting with Ellie.

"So you see, toots," my brother flashed a grin. "It really isn't my fault."

"You were disqualified because of felonious charges that involved trashing a mall and being a complete idiot." Ellie didn't look or sound impress. "How is that not your fault?"

"I'm a minor!" Aaron's grin was fading. He could probably tell that he wasn't getting to her. "Nothing I do is my fault."

"Whatever." Ellie said. Her eyes were on Mitchell's magazine. "Aren't you boys a little young for Buneary Booties 411?"

Aaron glanced at Mitchells, and his cheeks turned scarlet. "Hey!" He snatched the magazine from Mitchell and stuffed it into his backpack. "Stay out of my stuff."

"I'm the one who stole it from the magazine shop we looted." Mitchell said, irritably.

"You looted a magazine shop?" Ellie shook her head. "Why am I not surprised?" She smiled when she saw me and came my way.

"I left money on the front counter!" Aaron insisted. He shut his mouth when he saw me, and gaped when he saw Ellie stand next to me. "Oh, Eleanor, you've met my dear baby sis."

Ellie raised her eyebrows. "You two are related?"

Aaron grinned and ran a hand through his golden brown waves. "Yep. Blood related."

"I never would've guessed." To me, she said, "Hallucinations aside, you seem way too sane to be related to that clown."

"I get that a lot." I said, giving a real smile.

Aaron glared. "Traitor!" he hissed, before plopping back onto the couch.

"Anyway," Taking me by the arm, Ellie pulled me to a near empty video phone corner. "I'm convinced that that was real. No schizophrenia."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. There's no way two people could spontaneously start seeing things. Unless we drank spiked drinks or something." Ellie paused and stared at the Pokémon Center ceiling. "At least, I don't think I have. I hope not." She added, hastily. "Where was I?"

"We don't have schizophrenia. Or spiked drinks." I said in a robotic tone.

"Right." Ellie flexed her hand muscles and went on. "So, those two teens were real. They could disappear and they were real." Ellie sighed. "Insane, am I right?"

I nodded, feeling numb.

Ellie sat herself down next to one of the video phones, and began tapping her fingers against the arm of her chair in an uneven rhythm. She appeared reserved and was quiet for a minute.

I sat down in the chair closest to her, and waited for her to continue speaking.

"They mentioned something," she said, biting her lip. "Something about a copper and a mathlete. You're a friend of a copper and a mathlete or something."

"A copper and a mathlete?" I said.

Ellie frowned. "I think? Maybe they meant a hopper? Like someone who hops?" she smirked. "Can't be me. I don't hop, I'm not a cop, and I suck at math."

I stared at the blank screen of the closest video phone. Hesitantly, I searched the chasms of my memory for a recollection the encounter. I could see it clear enough in my head, like a film being rewound.

The girl had mentioned something about a copper and a mathlete. Or a hopper and a mathlete. But, that didn't make any sense, no matter how Ellie tried to explain it. Chopper and a mathlete? So, I'm buddies with a helicopter and a math nerd?

That seemed unlikely. I didn't know any mathletes, period. I knew _athletes_. A ton of them.

I gasped, realizing the truth. "Athlete!"

Ellie looked at me. "Athlete?"

I nodded. "Yep. Not a mathlete, an athlete."

"So, you're buddies with a Poké Athlete?" Ellie asked.

Poké Athlete? That term made me think of Mallory. And thinking of Mallory gave me the mental image of a light bulb glowing.

I gasped, despite myself. The athlete was Mallory. That had to explain why the girl had looked like Mallory. Or at least, it explained why she knew how Mallory looked. It sure didn't explain why some weird ventriloquist redhead could shape shift into different people.

"Why did you just gasp?" Ellie asked, eyes wide.

"Uh . . ." I hesitated. I didn't know Ellie that well. The blue haired boy had warned me against talking about them. Maybe disclosing information about words spoken counted, even to a person who had witness their oddities. I shook my head. "It's nothing. I definitely don't know any athletes. Unless you count friends from elementary school gym class."

"Oh," Ellie said. She sounded disappointed. Even so, she shrugged. "I'm gonna go get some lunch and then I'm going forget all about this. I'm hungry. And, I'm tired. But, I'm not freaked out anymore." She looked down at the tile flooring. "Well, not as freaked out, anyway." She caught my eye and smiled. "I'll catch you later, Gwen."

She left, headed to the cafeteria more than likely.

Alone, I looked at the video phone in front of me. I was still freaked out. Maybe not as much as I had been, but enough to have a mind whirring at a worrisome speed.

I could easily call the Goldenrod City main Pokémon Center, where Mallory and Julie would more than likely still be residing. But, would it be safe? Or smart?

If, the girl had been right and if my guess was correct, then yes. It had to be safe. Maybe not smart, but safe.

It felt funny not to have those two words as descriptions.

I turned on the video phone and selected the Pokémon Center's number from the mobile phonebook. I waited a few seconds as it made the connection.

The face of a blue-haired phone attendant appeared. "Hello. How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for my friend, Mallory Weiss." I said, clutching my stomach nervously. "She should be staying at this Pokémon Center."

"Who's calling?" The attendant asked.

"Gwen Jenkins."

The attendant nodded. "Alright. Please hold."

The screen went white, and I sat there, waiting.

My stomach churned from nerves, and my head felt as if it were spinning.

When Mallory's face appeared, I felt intense relief. "Mallory. It's so good to see you."

"Gwen, hey." she said with quiet enthusiasm. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." I said. I smiled, and grabbed the soft fabric of my shirt. I dug my fingers into it, gripping it like a lifeline. The fistful of purple cotton was comforting as I inhaled to compose myself. "That's a lie."

I swallowed a mouthful of air, and placed my other hand over my queasy stomach. Just the thought of the two weird teens was enough to get my stomach quivering and my head dizzy. And, now, here I was hesitating before one my best friends, my mind a whirl.

Was it safe to tell her? There were a million and one athletes in the world. Shoppers, too. Heck, there were athletic shoppers and shopping athletes. The boy had told me not to tell anyone. He and the girl were running from rockets. But, an athlete and shopper would help them. Or a copper and mathlete.

My stomach growled with uneasiness. This was ridiculous.

"Gwen?" I looked at the video phone screen. Mallory was leaning closer, eyes wide with concern and lips slightly parted. "Hey, what's wrong? I-is Aaron giving you a hard time?"

The mention of my brother loosened the knot of my stomach a little. I exhaled air and released a small giggle to ease myself.

Swallowing, I looked back at Mallory. It might've just been me, but in my moment of uncertainty, I could've sworn that she appeared _really _uneasy too. She was biting her lip and looking over her shoulder, and her tone sounded earnest as she repeated her rather shaky questions.

"Gwen?"

With Aaron and Sam acting like psychos and my mother busy with police charges, Mallory was only person in close proximity who I could truly vent to. And, if I couldn't trust Mallory, one of my closest friends, who could I trust?

I let it all out. "There are two teens who can shapeshift and disappear and rockets are chasing them and they mentioned a copper and an athletic shopper." I kept going, no longer pausing for breath. "And, you see, Aaron's an idiot and he and Sam and Mitchell trashed a mall so my mom's here and she's mad and I'm freaked out because that girl is definitely the same one from the cave. But, they told me not to tell anyone, but she looked like you but with freaky gold eyes and I'm really freaked out and I just wanted to collect badges and battle Whitney, but she won't let me. I shouldn't even be telling you, but I am, and I'm really scared. And, I don't know!" I paused for breath, prepared to reiterate everything I had just said.

Mallory beat me to my punch. Her eyes went wide and she gasped. "Oh my gosh! I told her not to look like me! She didn't listen. She never listens to me. She doesn't even listen to her brother, and she's always running off to go shopping with Julie and Mavis and it's so aggravating." Mallory paused, and glanced over her shoulder. She turned back to me, eyes urgent. "Shoot! Gwen, stay calm. Get back to Goldenrod soon, and don't call again. Kay? Kay?" She peered at me seriously before shutting off the phone without saying goodbye.

I backed away from the video phone, feeling more uncertain than before.

. . .

_April 16__th__, Saturday 12:35 pm_

Pokémon by my side, I paced outside the Pokémon Center, shoulders slumped and hands thrust into my pockets. My call to Mallory played itself over and over again in a loop, and my stomach rumbled.

"Mom was right to keep Aaron and me at home." I said to my Pokémon and Sir Edwin. "The world's a really cruel place." I felt tears prick my eyes. "Mallory's acting like the cops are after her. The cops are _after _Sam and Aaron. Mom's dealing with the cops. My dad and Granny and Colin are all the way at home and I just want to join them."

"Ele?" Levina grabbed my hand from my pocket and squeezed it. She smiled. "Elekid."

I didn't want consolation though. I just wanted Arceus himself to dash from the sky and grant my wish for a one-way ticket home. And, once home, I wanted to throw my trainer license, Pokédex, and traveling gear into the beach and hide under the covers of my comfy, warm bed for all eternity.

Well, maybe not _all _eternity. Maybe half.

"I'm sorry for capturing you." I told Levina.

She shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Kinda late for that, dummy."

"Same for you, Bricks." I told my newest Pokémon. "You've only been with me for a few hours, and already, I think you would've been better off with those bully Sentret."

Bricks winced and stared at the grass.

"Spykes, I should've just sucked it up and deal with Zorro. You're completely innocent and I dragged you into this journey." I told my little Cyndaquil.

Spykes cocked his head at me. "Quil?"

I even turned to Zorro. "I'm sorry Aaron caught you. He's a jerk. And I'm a jerk. And we're stuck in this journey of jerks. Doesn't mean you had to be sucked along with us."

Zorro just glared at me and grumbled something that I couldn't hear. It was probably Scyther speak for "Just be glad that I just cleaned my scythes this morning, you dang dummy!"

Lastly, I turned to Sir Edwin. "Sir Edwin," the Hoothoot looked at me expectantly. "I'm not at all sorry for your presence here. No one asked you to start stalking me, you dang psycho."

Sir Edwin ruffled his feathers at me and hooted indignantly.

I slump down on the grass, contemplating on whether to release them all into the wild. It would be a brash move, and I may regret it later. But, really, I was already regretting asking my mom for a journey in the first place.

Before I could make my decision, I noticed a woman approaching me. Hurriedly, I got to my feet as the woman stood in front of me beaming. She looked vaguely familiar.

"Hi! Sorry to bother you." She tall and slim, with long sleek blond hair that hung nearly to her waist. She was dressed in a silvery jacket that looked designer, a black pencil skirt, and black high heels. A notepad and a pen were in her hand and she was wearing a pair of rectangular-framed glasses. "I'm Hannah Lee. I'm a reporter for the Goldenrod City newspaper. Could you spare a moment for a few questions?"

She was speaking with her mouth. She didn't look like a ventriloquist, and her eyes weren't freaky gold. I eased myself. She was just a reporter, maybe one who had been on TV. It explained why I might have recognized her.

"What kind of questions?" I asked. Despite the ease, my stomach was still queasy and fluttering with Butterfree.

"Oh, you see, there have been recent strange happenings in town. I'm here to report it. It's for an article." She smiled. "So, see anything weird lately, kid?"

The blue-haired boy's solemn face flashed in my mind. "No."

Hannah Lee's face fell. "Oh, well that sucks. I've been asking everywhere and it's the same answer. Except for one guy." Hannah looked up at the sky. "He wondered if catching five foot long Magikarp counted as strange."

I stood still as she stared off into space. She finally shook her head, as if that were a trigger to bring herself back to Earth.

"Sorry. I'm so bored." Hannah sighed and ran a hand through her shiny hair. "My sister is being such a pain right now."

I listened while she vented to me how bored she was and how annoying younger siblings were. I have no clue why she thought that I was the best therapist. And it wasn't like I could really relate to her. My journey had been anything but boring, which wasn't all it was cracked up to be. And, it was my older brother who was annoying. The most annoying thing Colin had ever done had been forcing me to sit through a marathon of Charizard Warriors.

I told Hannah this when she took a breath. About my brothers, not the un-boring journey.

She smirked. "Lucky you. I _wish _I had brothers. They'd let me shop and have fun. I love my sister and all, but she's so damn bossy. I'm older than her by two and half years, but she insists on treating me like a child." Hannah fished a pack of strawberry gum from her black handbag and popped a stick into her mouth. "Want one?"

"No thanks." I scooped Spykes up in my arms, ready to return to the Pokémon Center.

Releasing my Pokémon and going home were weak moves. I couldn't be weak. But, I wanted to be. If Mom was planning on dragging Aaron home, then I wanted to go along.

I was just about to say farewell to Hannah when a magnificent boom rung through the air. I looked around, hugging Spykes close.

My eyes glued to the distant coliseum dome that was the town's battle stadium. A cracked was torn down the middle of its gray-blue exterior, and three large Pokémon were ramming their heads into it. Four Pidgeot and three unfamiliar flying Pokémon were swooping all around, cawing and screeching as the inhabitants of Marigold Town scurried for help or cover.

I didn't recognize the Pokémon, nor any of the kids dashing out of the stadium in a frenzy. The booms of the Pokémons' ramming echoed through the air, joined by yelling and the sounds of multiple footsteps.

"Up in the air!" One woman in the distance yelled.

Stomach tight, I looked up. A bright red hot air balloon hovered over the battle stadium. There were a few people clustered in the basket. One of them was leaning over the edge of the basket, holding some kind of megaphone to their face.

"Team Rocket's back, bitches!" the person cried, their voice high-pitched and shrill. It echoed through the town.

'Team Rocket?!' I thought.

I gulped, and turned to Hannah. She was staring hard at the hot air balloon. She mumbled something quietly. "Oakley!"

"What?" I asked.

She looked at me and managed a sheepish smile. "Oh, nothing. Can you run and get the police? This looks pretty serious."

Mouth dry, I nodded. "Right!" I hurried into the Pokémon Center, Spykes in my arms and the other Pokémon at my heels.

**It feels good to be back. Apologies to anyone who enjoyed reading this story. I was busy, stressed, and busy. That comment Gwen makes about feeling as if its been at least nine months since the morning? Total reference to how freaking long it's been since I last updated.**

**I'll be able to get in another chapter some time next week, just as a heads up to any readers. **

**But, a quick announcement; every time a battle involving the main characters occurs, I plan on switching point of views to one of the Pokémon. First person, past tense. I wish I had thought of this sooner, as I believe that this technique will freshen up battle scenes while giving more insight of the Pokémon who have received such little attention. Sam's Poliwag, Fisher, and Mallory's Ledyba, Fleur, are two particular Pokémon who I have neglected since their debuts.**

**So, apologies in advance to anyone who finds themselves puzzled over random POV changes. I'll probably only incorporate it for battle scenes and training sessions, but if I can maintain steadiness and get a good voice down for each Pokémon I use, I may expand it to just plain old spotlight sections.**

**The use of this should also help me better characterize the Pokémon as characters versus props.**

**But, anyway, everyone have a fantastic day! Seriously! Go out, smell the roses, and live your life to the fullest!**

**If you find the time, leave a review. They're much appreciated.**

**But, until next time; au revoir, readers!**


	27. Center Rocket

**Chapter 27: Center Rocket  
**

_April 16__th__, Saturday 12:48 pm_

Running back to the Pokémon Center proved to be pointless as Officer Jenny dashed out of the red-and-white building before I even reached the front doors. A whole slew of people followed closely behind her, echoing one another in gasps and yells of shock and confusion.

The tall, blue-haired police officer stared at the ongoing chaos with a mix of surprise and annoyance. "What the hell is going on now?"

I felt a pang of sympathy for her. This day couldn't possibly get any crazier.

As if to disagree with my sentiments, an impact of crackling electricity and fire erupted by the stadium. Mouth open wide, I could only stare with blatant incredulity as older trainers and people rushed forward to offer aid to this strange dilemma. Officer Jenny sprinted surprisingly fast in her high-heels, all the while calling orders into her walkie-talkie.

"The cops will help," I said dully to my Pokémon.

Zorro glared at the inflamed stadium while Levina shook her head with the same disbelief that I felt. Bricks stared up at me, shivering fearfully and Spykes tittered with clear timidity.

Quickly, I returned both frightened Pokémon to their Pokéballs and secured the spheres to my belt. I made to return Zorro next, but the glaring Scyther leaped out of the way and scurried towards the stadium. Levina cried out angrily and chased right after him.

"Hey!" I called out to them.

Flapping to remain a few feet airborne, Sir Edwin offered me a gaze that seemed suspiciously accusatory. "Hoot!"

"Hoot what?" I asked.

I didn't wait for an answer as I found myself grabbing a hold of the Owl Pokémon as a fireball came flying down towards us. Half-rolling and half-stumbling, I scrambled out of the way and planted myself at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. Cover for safety!

Up in the air, the strange Flying-types surrounded the Pokémon Center and nearby buildings. A pair of them was green with sets of bulbous pink eyes. They were flying but they certainly didn't look like any Flying-types that I knew of.

"Flygon!" one of them cried, releasing a spout of flames upon a bushel of trees.

I sat transfixed, a frozen Hoothoot in my arms. At least I knew its name.

Its fellow Flygon released a Screech attack that had me covering my ears and cringing. Through the haze of painful noise, I saw that the hot air balloon had landed by the stadium and now its inhabitants—several uniformed people—were running for the Pokémon Center. Some became involved in Pokémon battles while a few were tackled to the ground by Officer Jenny's Arcanine.

Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into the Pokémon Center. It was Aaron who upon tugging me in quickly shut the center doors shut with a decisive clang.

"It's Team Rocket," he said, peering out the glass doors.

Hugging Sir Edwin, I stumbled onto my feet and stared at my brother. "It's what?"

"Team Rocket. They're this team. They were pretty big deal in Kanto." Aaron suddenly smirked at me. "Well, kind of a big deal. Y'know Kanto. It's the boonies."

"Oh, shut up, Aaron!" Ellie said, shoving him away so that she could get a look. "Team Rocket was a big enough deal a few years ago. They stole Pokémon for a living _and _they tried to take over Saffron City."

"Wow. They are so evil," Aaron said.

I glanced around the front lobby and found that there were still several trainers about. Some appeared young and frightened while a couple had Pokéballs out and ready. Mitchell stood by his parents while Sam stood awkwardly beside his mother.

My own mom hurried up to me, her Roserade right behind her. "What was that racket?"

"Team Rocket," I said.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Oh, them? That's an inconvenience."

"Uh . . ." I felt ashamed for being so shocked and frightened.

"They're nothing compared to Team Dim Sun," she said, crossing her arms. "Team Dim Sun terrorized my home region for a good three years, you know. Wreaked nightmares on everyone and everything."

Overhearing her, Ellie turned and said, "Team Rocket's just as bad. They're just more conspicuous."

"It's true," Brian, Aaron's Kanto native friend, said, backing Ellie up. "Their leader was masquerading as a gym leader for over two years and he abducted challengers that lost to him."

I looked at him with worry. "Wait, really?"

Brian nodded gravely. "My cousin was one of those challengers."

"Are they alive?"

"Yeah. She got lucky. The police were already shutting the team down when she got kidnapped. Nothing happened to her. But, those other challengers . . ."

"Don't scare my baby sister, Bri!" Aaron said teasingly.

My mother suddenly whistled and said sharply, "You kids stay here. No one is getting kidnapped on my watch."

Before anyone could object or give suggestion, Mom kicked off her high-heels and exited out the glass doors with her Roserade. I numbly stared after her and ignored Sir Edwin's erratic squirming.

"There's no way that Charlotte is showing me up. I dealt with Team Dim Sun too! Mitchell, give me your Mamoswine!" Mitchell's mom ordered.

Mitchell complied and his parents went right out the door, the Pokeball clutched in his mother's hands. Almost expectantly, everyone looked over at Sam's mother, the only remaining adult or mother in the room.

"I don't care for Pokémon or battling," Mrs. Wilson said with a careless shrug. She sat herself down on a couch and began texting something on her Pokégear. "I guess we'll be waiting this one out. Huh, Sammy? Dinner will be very late tonight. And we were going to have five-cheese lasagna too . . ."

Sam and I exchanged a look.

Ellie, on the other hand, gave every other trainer in the room a sharp look of irritation. "This is _so_ stupid. If you have Pokémon and you're not pissing yourself, get a move on! Let's go!"

Leading a makeshift army of about eight trainers, Ellie and Spinny bolted out the glass doors. Brian and Mitchell weren't far behind them, and soon, there were only a few other trainers left including myself, Sam, Mrs. Wilson, and Aaron.

Aaron looked from Sam to me. "Both of you, stay here."

"I have Pokémon, you know," I told him, though I was silently grateful for an excuse to remain out of the line of fire. But, at the same time, Zorro and Levina were both out there and the more I thought about them, the more worried I was. Team Rocket had been notorious for stealing Pokémon in the past. What could possibly break that habit now in the present?

"And, you're my little sister, you know," Aaron replied, rolling his eyes.

From outside, Mitchell called, "Aaron! Are you coming?"

"Yeah!" he called back.

As he hurried for the open threshold, I caught a hold of his jacket sleeve. "Hey! If you see Zorro and Levina out there, can you send them here?"

"Wait; who and who?" Aaron stared at me. "What are you talking about?"

"My Elekid and Scyther. They ran off towards the stadium. Can you look out for them and send them here please?"

Aaron laughed. "Is that Scyther the one I sent you? Sure, squirt, I'll try."

And then he was gone.

"Well good riddance!" I called, though I doubt he could hear me.

"Hoot!" Sir Edwin pecked me hard on the arm, and my grip on him faltered. Angrily, the Owl Pokémon flew up and latched himself to my shoulder. "Hoothoot!"

Irritably, I told him, "Why don't you go get Zorro and Levina then and make yourself useful?"

Sir Edwin hooted once more before flying off and zooming out the Pokémon Center. I hurried to the threshold and stared after him in surprise. I hadn't been serious with my words. But, before I could call him back, a new group of Team Rocket members appeared out of the flurry of battlers and smoke.

They wa;led in a tight group, with the one at the lead carrying an odd electronic tablet device in her hands. A fat, pink Pokémon wobbled between two of the members as they brushed past onlookers and marched straight towards the Pokémon Center.

"Sam!" I quickly backed away from the door and hurried to where my friend sat with his mother. "We're going to have company soon."

Mrs. Wilson looked up from her Pokégear with an exasperated sigh. "See what you got me in to, Sammy Sun?" Putting her device away in her lavender purse, Mrs. Wilson stood up and straightened her floral dress. "Okay, Sammy. Could I borrow one of your Pokémon please? I'm a little rusty but I can be of help."

Sam grudgingly handed his mother a Pokeball. His cheeks were bright red.

'Sammy Sun?' I thought, filing away the pet name for later. If we survived these kidnapping, Pokémon-stealing thugs, I wasn't going to let him hear the end of his mother's nickname for him.

Frowning, Mrs. Wilson weighed the Pokeball in her hand testily. "Now, then. Would everyone please get out a Pokémon and be ready?"

I looked at the other occupants of the lobby. Nurse Joy was nowhere to be seen, but there were four trainers situated all about the brightly-lit room. All of them appeared young and couldn't be older than ten. Beginner trainers just like me.

One of them, a tall, dark-skinned girl with large glasses, was the first to respond. She released a Farfetch'd from its Pokeball and mustered up an uncomfortable smile. "Um . . . I'm not a battler or anything, but, uh, I can help."

"Far!" her Pokémon cried angrily, and taking up its stick, whacked the girl in the leg.

I cringed, but the girl shrugged it off. Was she used to be abused by her own Pokémon?

Two other trainers, a curly-haired girl with a Grovyle and a boy with a Granbull, perked up and got Pokéballs ready for the attack. This left only one trainer, who slouched in an armchair with their arms crossed and their eyes closed.

Almost immediately, I recognized him. Ethan.

The Grovyle girl tapped him on the shoulder. "Yo, dude. You need to wake up."

Ethan's eyes flew open and he put his finger to his lips. "Be gone, NPC. I need to save my game."

I didn't know whether to stare blankly or to slap my head, so instead, I got out Pokéballs of my own and prayed. I prayed that Spykes and Bricks would be able to fight. I prayed that they wouldn't be stolen. I prayed that Levina, Zorro, and Sir Edwin would be safe. And then, I prayed for my safety and Sam's. And then for the safety of my mother, Aaron, Mrs. Wilson, the Farfetch'd girl, Mitchell and his parents, Ellie, Brian, Officer Jenny, and everyone else. Even Ethan.

And, for my sanity. I prayed for that too.

* * *

_POV Switch~ Levina_

"Get down!" Zorro hissed, tackling me to the grass as a volley of fireballs sailed over our heads.

His blades nicked my shoulders, and as soon as the danger was clear, I shoved him off and quickly stood up. He scarcely seemed to notice as he continued scampering for burning stadium. I had to jog to keep up with him.

"We need to go back!" I told him, getting even in the run. "Gwen needs us."

"The midget has the safety of the center. She doesn't need anything," the Scyther said sharply.

One uniformed man dashed past us carrying a struggling Jigglypuff. His look was suspicious and the Jigglypuff cried out for help.

Arms winding, I sprung at the man and delivered a kick to his knees. He plummeted onto the ground and the Jigglypuff floated free from his grasps.

"Much appreciative!" the Jigglypuff called before beginning the first few notes of Sing.

I promptly covered my ears and ran to catch up with Zorro as people and Pokémon began dropping onto the floor in dead sleeps. Once I was closer to the stadium, the roaring of the ongoing fire and yells of the surrounding humans and Pokémon.

At the base of the stadium, a couple of human girls wrestled with a trio of the uniformed humans. The scuffle appeared to be over a large, bulging sack. Cries clearly rang out from within it.

"I demand respect! Tell them I do!" one squeaky voice cried.

"They don't understand me when I do!" another cried. "Use Spore, Mousey!"

"I can't use Spore!"

"What good are you then?"

"Shut up!" I ordered, dashing at the sack and tearing it from the struggling humans. They attempted to grapple the bag back, but Zorro got in-between me and them, brandishing his blades and hissing madly.

With the flats of his arms, Zorro shoved one of the uniformed idiots into a tree. "How dare you steal helpless little ones!"

In surprise, I stared at him and hurried to empty the sack. A Taillow, Marill, and Snubbull tumbled out. While the Marill hurriedly bounded off, the Taillow and Snubbull thanked me before hurrying to their respective trainers.

Electricity crackled between my ears, and with great confidence, I smirked. Now that the Pokémon and humans were out of the way, I could shock these duds as much as I liked. Suddenly, I was glad that I had chosen to follow my aloof teammate. Disciplining those who commit crimes is satisfying.

"Zorro!" I warned. The electricity that charged through me felt different somehow; stronger and quicker. It wouldn't miss.

Sensing this, Zorro quit slapping at the trio and quickly maneuvered out of the way as I let this new attack loose. It struck the trio and jolted them erratically. With raspy cries, they flew into the air and disappeared beyond the clouds.

"That's a new move," Zorro told me, impressed.

I nodded, grinning. "I don't know what the humans call it."

"That Elekid just used Shock Wave!" the Taillow's human told the Snubbull's human.

Well, that was quick. I smirked at them before following after Zorro once more.

"These bozos like to steal things and kidnap Pokémon. Especially the weak ones," Zorro told me.

I felt a tinge of surprise. He didn't normally give so much information. Yet, at the same time, I glared. "Yes. I figured that out on my own. Thank you."

Zorro returned my glare, and with frustrated camaraderie, we continued our odd, haphazard mission. At times, it was Zorro who procured the victim Pokémon while I delivered the attack. And, at other times, the roles were switched. No words were spoken. Silent teamwork and it worked spectacularly.

"Hey, Zorro!" I called as we freed a swarm of Magikarp. "You're not too bad."

Zorro simply grunted, though he offered a small, sly smile.

* * *

_April 16__th__, Saturday 1:18 pm_

Our so-called big battle was an utter failure. An utter epic failure.

I have no idea whose fault it was. Farfetch'd girl's Farfetch'd spent more time whacking her than it did whacking Team Rocket grunts, and Bricks spent a bulk of the time cowering behind me. Ethan kept right on snoozing in his armchair while Granbull boy was thrown off his feet almost immediately. We found out that Granbull boy only had one other Pokémon. Guess what it was?

A Magikarp.

The only ones who seemed to know what they were doing were Grovyle girl and Mrs. Wilson. Grovyle girl, or Cathy as her name was, had a agile Grovyle and a Plusle and Minun that consistently pulled off Helping Hand and Spark to shock the Zubat the grunts sent out.

And for all that she claimed about being rusty and inexperienced, Sam's mom did better than him when it came to facing off against the enemies. She navigated Yoko and Fisher so that they were able to take out one grunt's tough Persian.

But, no matter how tough those two were, we all ended up on the floor and tied up with vines produced by Weepinbell. We were divided into pairs. I found myself tied up to Farfetch'd girl, who I thankfully remembered was named Claudia.

Her Farfetch'd, along with Bricks and the other Pokémon, were put to sleep with a Vileplume's Spore and were piled into sacks. They weren't slow in taking our Pokémon, these Team Rocket people.

Eyes blurry with tears, I glared at the enemies. There were eight of them in total; five grunts and three others that were dressed differently. I guessed that they were possibly higher in command.

One of them, a bespectacled girl, typed out something on a handheld. "There's definitely a reading in here."

"Yeah?" a grunt said. "Then how-"

"Silence!" One of the other high-ranked grunts suddenly cried. She was a teen-aged girl, tall and lithe, with spiky violet hair and light brown skin. Her uniform consisted of a black sweater and a miniskirt that showed off a pair of toned legs. "It is time for introductions. Wouldn't you say?"

The other high-ranked grunt nodded and smirked. She was shorter and curvier with long locks of flaming-red hair that curled about her shoulders. "Oh, certainly, partner!"

"Prepare for trouble!"

"On the double!"

"Plug in the socket!"

"We are Team Rocket!"

The violet-haired teen smirked. "Billy!"

The redhead linked arms with her. "Kid!"

The bespectacled one, short and plump, cleared her throat and waved in a bored way at us. "And I'm called Janet."

The redhead, Kid, glared at her. "That didn't rhyme!"

"Was it supposed to?" Janet didn't wait for an answer and simply pushed past a pair of grunts to peer at each of us. "Someone in here has a reading." The device in her hands vibrated and beeped.

I didn't know what she was talking about. A reading of extra Pokémon? I could feel Spykes's Pokeball in the pocket of my pants, and I was glad that I had tucked it away prior to battle. If I could only get it loose, we might have a bit of chance at escape.

'Yes. Because my sweet, adorable Cyndaquil is perfectly capable of executing a rescue mission,' I thought bleakly.

Janet passed us, and a wash of relief fell over me. I glanced at Sam who appeared worried and grave in expression as he sat tied to his mother across from us. He still had Dusty, Blossom, and Delano in their Pokéballs. They weren't the strongest Pokémon, but with combined power . . .

I mentally faltered and silently prayed that my mother or Officer Jenny or Aaron would come through the center doors to rescue us.

"The reading isn't clear." Frowning, Janet paused before Ethan who remained tied up to his armchair. "It's pointing at this kid."

Billy turned to a grunt and said, "Bring in the talking oaf."

"Talking oaf?" Grovyle girl, Cathy, asked incredulously.

I silently echoed her question.

From behind the Vileplume and Weepinbell, a fat, pink Pokémon waddled. It had a dopey face and a large stone crown-like item upon its head. It certainly looked like an oaf. A Slowking. It's when it opened its mouth and spoke that I cried out in alarm.

"A simple boy, I'm sure," the Slowking said, smiling.

"Are you being honest?" a grunt asked.

"Shut up!" Kid snapped. "I ask the big questions!" In a louder voice, she repeated, "Are you being honest?"

"You'd have no way of knowing," the Slowking said slowly. "I could lie about my honesty and be truthful in regards to my dishonesty."

Kid kicked him, and the Slowking tumbled onto the floor.

"He has a point there," Janet said nonchalantly, poking and prodding Ethan with her hand.

"Don't kick the stolen goods, Kid," Billy said coolly. "The boss wants him in one piece."

A grunt nodded. "Yeah. Talking prophet Pokémon ain't a dime a dozen."

"Shut up!" Kid cried, kicking him so that he tumbled onto the floor as well.

Another grunt lifted Slowking from the floor, and the talking pink Pokémon continued, "He appears normal enough."

"But, is this an accurate reading?" Janet asked. "You're not answering the question."

"Only because you keep repeating it," the Slowking said, his smile creepy. "If you don't mind me saying, you're as insufferable as my previous owner. Though, you lot have variety in your questions. Entei yesterday and the Latis today. No mention of Suicune, thank Ho-Oh!"

Kid kicked him again, though he didn't fall onto the floor. "Answer her, you fool!"

Suddenly, Ethan jerked out of whatever daze he was in. He stared blankly at us all with big dark eyes, and I absently wondered if he was half-asleep. At that thought, how could he have seriously been sleeping? Who sleeps through a break-in?

"This isn't right," Ethan said blearily. He looked around again. "This isn't Goldenrod. A-and, I only have the first three badges. This isn't right . . ." He suddenly began thrashing about wildly, squirming at his vines. "The order isn't correct! It isn't correct!"

I stared at him, blindly trying to understand what he was saying. Had he finally completely lost it?

"Slowking, answer me now," Janet said sharply. "My patience runs even thinner than Kid's."

Slowking shrugged. "The aura is amiss. The boy's aura, that is."

Kid aimed another kick at him, but Billy stopped her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's crooked. Tangled. It isn't correct." The Slowking's tiny black eyes looked around the room, and his gaze fell upon me. "That girl's outer aura is pulsing a deep red. Anger and strong will. It's clear and runs straight. The other girl's outer aura is dark, dusky blue. Fear of the future. It runs just as smoothly. Their auras have not been tampered with."

Billy and Kid stared at me, and then at Claudia before turning their gaze onto Ethan. Janet was the first to speak, her tone still sharp. "So, the one we seek is linked to this tampering?"

Slowking shrugged. "Who's to say?"

Kid kicked him before Billy could stop her. "You are, you fat oaf!"

As Ethan squirmed and the Slowking tumbled onto the floor, I closed my eyes and prayed some more.

* * *

**Well, this took long enough to update. To anyone still reading this fic, my sincerest apologies. Life got in the way, as life is prone to do. Thankfully, life isn't being a nuisance now and I can continue writing this as much as I please!**

**I originally intended to have the entire Team Rocket thing be one chapter, but this one ended up going for too long. But, for good reason!**

**Key characters were introduced, as were plot elements. Billy and Kid, as well as the indifferent scientist Janet will be recurring villains, and Slowking is planned as a recurring character/ plot device. **

**And, yes, it's meant to be the same one as the second Pokémon film's. Or, at least, a similar Slowking.**

**Also, we had our first Pokémon POV. Levina had it this time around, being one of the Pokémon to have the most spotlight and characterization. I'm aiming to give her another POV section next chapter, along with Fisher, Sam's Poliwag.**

**No trivia question this time, but I'll be sure to include one in the next chapter.**

**At any rate, thank you for reading! Please, if you're able, leave a review. They are most appreciated.**


	28. Don't Stop Me Now!

**Chapter 28: Don't Stop Me Now!**

_April 16__th__, Saturday 1:34 pm_

Slowking continued his monologue about auras and emotion and a lot of blather that I only barely made out. His talking was intercut with the occasional kick or curse that either Kid or Billy sent his way. It was quite the distraction, and if the ropes had been any looser, Slowking might have proved to be enough of a diversion to allow all of us to escape.

But, alas, bad luck stood proudly by my side. Stupid bad luck . . .

As the Team Rocket people continued studying the struggling Ethan, I risked a whisper to my bond buddy. "We need to get out of here."

The girl, Claudia, nodded solemnly. "Um, yeah. That's . . . the point. I-I think . . ."

"You only think that's the point?" I said dubiously. I searched for Sam, and finding his gaze upon me, silently sent a hopeful look his way. Smart, serious Sam would have a plan . . . or simply extra Pokémon.

Quickly and subtly, Sam nodded his head before gesturing to the pockets of his jacket. Just barely, I could make out the red outline of a Pokéball or two. Dusty, Blossom, and Delano. They weren't perfect, but they would make do as a cavalry. Hopefully.

The real question was how to get them out of their Pokéballs. The answer came to me quickly, but it only served to raise another question. Ethan would only serve as a distraction for so long.

Silently, I looked at Sam and hoped that he would get my ragtag plan. He nodded to me, but whether that was in response to something else or not . . .

"We'll take him with us," Billy said, flicking her violet spikes over her shoulder. "The nerds can have a more thorough study there." She glanced a beeping, flashing device, and sighed. "Let's hurry it up. Oakley's getting pissed."

A pair of grunts grabbed ahold of Ethan, one taking his shoulders while the other took his feet. Meanwhile, Kid continued smacking Slowking upside the head for no discernible reason.

"Would you leave that poor pink thing alone already?" Mrs. Wilson suddenly said, her tone irritable. "What did he ever do to you, young lady?"

Sharply, Kid kicked Slowking out of the way and glared at her. "_Lady_? Did you just call me a _lady_?"

Billy yanked Kid by the arm. "Easy, Kid. Easy."

"Like hell!"

'Oh great,' I thought, hopelessly.

A shot like explosives rang out, and my ears dulled with the noise. Stomach clenched, I looked past the angry Kid and the annoyed Billy to the scientist girl, Janet. She stood behind them, a gun in her hand and pointed straight up at the ceiling. Her expression was both calm and eerily apathetic.

Emotionlessly, she said, "That's enough."

None of her colleagues raised an objection, and Kid even calmed down.

I gulped, and I could hear others doing the same. Was she going to use that gun on us?

"I'm out of bullets now. That's sad," Janet said, peering over her glasses and staring down at the mouth of her weapon. "We need to dispose of our witnesses though, and tearing them apart limb by limb is bound to be messy. I do not abide messes, you know."

Kid and a grunt ducked behind Billy who calmly said, "We know, Jan. We know." Chuckling nervously, the violet-haired teen clapped her hands together. "Say, but you're not serious, right? We don't kill people now!"

Janet shrugged, and tossed the gun from hand to hand. "Oakley didn't mention that rule. Is it an official one?" She stopped and pointed the gun directly at Billy's chest. "I don't think it is."

Nerves vanished, Billy snapped, "Don't point that thing at me!"

"It's out of bullets. I told you."

Out of nowhere, the Granbull boy began crying. "I don't wanna die! I'm just a kid! D-don't kill me!" Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he was trembling uncontrollably. "I-I've got a life and family a-and st-stuff!"

I bit my lip, pangs of sympathy felt for the boy. I only wished that I could cry, but now wasn't the time. But, what exactly was it the time for then?

"St-stuff?" Kid mocked, poking out from behind Billy. "How long you gonna st-stutter, boy? Huh?"

"You leave him alone!" the Grovyle girl, Cathy, snapped angrily. She was tied to the Granbull boy, and she wiggled so that he was faced away from the Rocket people. She glared at Kid head-on with narrowed brown eyes. "You should feel really pathetic, picking on a ten-year old. You're like fifty!"

Silently, I admired her guts.

"Fifty?" Kid screeched, and attempted to dash at Cathy. Billy grabbed her by the arm to keep her back. "You take that back, you-"

Another gunshot, and all eyes landed on Janet. Without care, she shrugged. "There was one more bullet, wasted on shutting Kid up once again." Nonchalantly, she trained the gun upon Kid. "Maybe I should use whatever's left to just off you for good. How does that sound?"

'She's crazy!' I thought, eyes wide. 'Like, really crazy! The _real_ Johto Psycho!' Remembering the old nickname we had thrown around during our journey, I laughed. Loudly and hysterically. Dumb move on my part. Seriously.

Janet stepped toward me, gun in hand. "What is so funny?"

"Janet," Billy began, but the scientist paid her no heed.

Next to me, Claudia was silent. I followed her example, but it did little to settle my nerves. My shoulders shook even harder than Granbull boy's.

"Did I make a joke? Did you comprehend my words as a joke?" Janet said. "A very funny joke?"

Numbly, I shook my head. My eyes were on her gun.

"Then what was it then?"

Cathy snorted from where she was tied. "What is wrong with you people? Hoenn doesn't have this many problems!"

"Is that a part of the joke?" Janet wanted to know.

Throat caught, I noticed Sam shaking and wiggling in an attempt to get his Pokéballs free. His mother was frowning and helping him along, struggling quietly against her own bonds.

'Good to know that I'm being a good distraction, Samuel,' I thought angrily. If we made it out of this alive, I was going to hit him. Hard.

Swallowing down my fears, I readied myself and began to be a more proper distraction. Shaking and writhing, I struggled to get to my feet, pulling up Claudia with me.

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" I howled endlessly, teetering and tottering as I attempted to keep balance. "Don't let me die!"

My foot slipped seemingly against nothing, and I fell sideways into the jukebox station set up in the corner of the lobby. It flared on upon my collapse, and with my head aching, I barely registered the song that began playing.

_Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time_

_I feel __**alive**_

Recognizing the song, I groaned. Things couldn't possibly get any better now, could they?

Somehow, Claudia pulled us both up. "Sorry," she whispered, though it wasn't as if the fall had been on her.

_And the world it's turning inside out, yeah!  
I'm floating around in ecstasy_

"I hate this song!" Kid declared.

Billy wrinkled her nose, but simply said, "It's not too bad."

"I don't care for it," Janet said with a shrug.

"It's groovy," a grunt said.

_So don't stop me now don't stop me  
'Cause I'm having a good time having a good time_

"It's all wrong! It's all wrong!" Ethan cried, thrashing.

"Johto sucks!" Cathy yelled. As much as I loved my region, I had to agree.

"Where is Officer Jenny?" Mrs. Wilson asked, continuing to pull at her bonds.

"I want to go home!" Granbull boy hollered.

_I'm a shooting star leaping through the skies  
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity_

"I'm terribly sorry about this . . ." Claudia whispered.

"This room is full of conflicting auras," Slowking said.

"This is madness . . ." I mumbled.

_I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva  
I'm gonna go go go  
There's no stopping me_

"Delano, use Lick!" Sam called.

There was a click, and from his Pokéball, Delano appeared in all his ghostly glory. Immediately, he let loose his long, wiggling tongue upon a grunt and Kid.

"Eww!" Kid shrieked as she fell onto the floor.

More clicks, and Blossom came free with Razor Leaf going. Dusty appeared out of her Pokéball, only to sluggishly fall asleep, oblivious to the action about her.

"Chika!" Blossom cried, sending a slew of leaves at a grunt.

The said grunt gasped and dropped his bag of stolen Pokéballs. Out of the burlap sack, Pokéballs rolled free, and clicks sounded as the held Pokémon got themselves loose and ready.

I cheered silently at Sam's success. Almost home free!

Hopefully . . .

_I'm burning through the sky, yeah!  
Two hundred degrees  
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit  
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light  
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you_

"Grovyle, get me out of these bonds!" Cathy cried, taking no breaks. "Plusle, Minun; use Shock Wave now!"

Zubat fell from the air, and ties were cut loose.

I scrambled to grab Brick's Pokéball, and I quickly returned my quivering Machop to it. Staying out of the storm of attacks, I stuffed his Pokéball securely into my pocket. He would be safer there, along with Spykes. There was a bigger question though; how were Levina, Zorro, and Sir Edwin doing?

_Don't stop me now  
I'm having such a good time  
I'm having a ball  
Don't stop me now  
If you wanna have a good time  
Just give me a call_

Audibly, I prayed as I crouched beside the booming jukebox. "Oh, Ho-oh, watch over my Pokémon and keep them safe. Amen."

The fighting was intense and wild, but I was hopeful.

Sam was commanding Fisher and Delano against the remaining Zubat while Cathy and her Grovyle battled Billy and her Swinub. Granbull boy was piggyback-riding a grunt and beating him over the head with his fists while his Granbull chomped on the grunt's leg.

Writhing and still struggling against his bonds, Ethan lay on the tiled floor, his captors defeated. Slowking stood calmly behind a sofa, occasionally saying things inaudibly to no one in particular. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wilson appeared to be scolding the paralyzed Kid.

Janet, looking bored, left the Pokémon Center. Just like that. I hoped that Officer Jenny would be close by to nab her, considering her assurance with guns and casual way of pointing them at people!

_Don't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time)  
Don't stop me now (yes I'm having a good time)  
I don't want to stop at all... yeah!_

Farfetch'd girl stood behind a nearby plant, quivering and quiet. Her Farfetch'd was screaming at her and motioning towards the ongoing battle.

"Far!" it cried, tossing its stick from wing to wing.

"We wouldn't do too well, I don't think . . ." the girl, Claudia, said nervously. "We would, uh, fail. We always do . . ."

"Fetch!" her Pokémon hit her upside the head with its stick before dashing into battle.

I simply shook my head. Her relationship with her temperamental duck was reminiscent of my own bout with Zorro. But, at the very least, he had never tried to cut me with his blades.

My mind on my Scyther, I glared at the floor. He had to be okay. Zorro, Levina, and Sir Edwin.

* * *

_POV Switch~ Fisher_

Use Water Gun, he says. Of course, I respond.

Duty and honor. They are very important things. Very important qualities. Without them, you do not live and you do not breathe! I told Yoko this once, and he only nodded his heads blindly. He did not listen, I don't think.

My tails wagged behind me as Water Gun flew at full force. I took down a Zubat, and a surge of pleasure whittled through me. I didn't dance for joy, as Tsu or Levina would. It is not honorable to dance when you are in battle. Not honorable at all.

I allow myself a small smile as I dash across the tiled floors. Silently, I curse my lack of arms, but only briefly. The boy, my trainer, he promised to help me evolve so that I would get arms. I trust the boy, the master. Sir, I call him. Sam, the others say. That is not honorable. Not honorable at all!

I find another opponent. It is another Zubat, who flies above me. Its flying is erratic and dizzy, and I realize quickly that it has been struck with Confuse Ray.

Delano's, most likely. He is a sneaky indiivudal, that Ghastly. I fear that we do not get along well, for he fights dishonorably, while I do not.

"Use Water Gun!" Sir calls to me.

For once, I refuse an order. I do not battle dishonorably. Only the foolish Marill and snickering Oddish of my old home would do such things with their Growl and Poison Powder moves. Such dishonor!

I am glad to be away from all of that, and I like Sir very much. I like Yoko enough too, as he fights reasonably with honor at times. Blossom, though dishonorable in her brattiness and whining, is not dishonorable when battling. Dusty is okay, but she sleeps too much. Vigilance! You cannot have vigilance with sleep! I told her this, but she only responded by falling asleep. Sleeping is not honorable. And, Delano is not honorable.

It is not honorable to attack someone when they are already down, so I did not fire Water Gun. I simply stood my ground and waited for the Confuse Ray's effect to wither away. It did not, and Yoko quickly appeared and delivered Fury Attack.

"Not honorable!" I cry as the Zubat faints.

Yoko only sighed. "Don't be ridiculous," one head says while the other grabs me by my tail and quickly darts from a Raticate's Hyper Fang.

Once again, I grow angry at my lack of arms. I could fight more honorably with arms! Honor and vigilance and duty!

Finally, Yoko sets me back upon my waddling feet. I looked for a new opponent, and found one. A Rattata. But, it's small and feeble and clearly confused.

I frown at it. It would not be honorable to fight it.

"Water Gun, Fisher!" Sir calls to me.

Does he not know that I have more moves under my belt? And, it is not honorable to hit someone whilst they are delirious and down! Not honorable at all!

"Bubble?" Sir says, staring at me with puzzlement.

Sir is a nice boy and trainer, but he never appears to understand my need to remain honorable. He is blind. That is not dishonorable, nor honorable. It is confusing.

"Hypnosis?" Sir tries again.

I shake my head. That would be most dishonorable, to put an opponent to sleep before knocking it out. Most dishonorable indeed! I did so a few times in the past, but not again! No dishonor from this Poliwag!

But, if I were to be dishonorable, I would get more experience and evolve faster. I would get arms and be honorable! But, the past dishonor would cancel out the honor, now, wouldn't it? It goes against my very nature! No dishonor for me! No!

Suddenly, the Rattata becomes fast and agile. It darts past me and to my trainer.

Fool! It was faking! The fool is me!

But no! I waddle with all my might, and with force, slap this foul beast with my tail. Double Slap it is! For my honor and for Sir!

"Dishonor, you fool!" I slap once. "Dishonor!" I slap twice. Thrice. Four times! Honor for everyone!

The Rattata faints, btu I continue. It tried to fool me with dishonor, and I combated it with honor! Pure honor!

"Honor!" I holler.

Delano pauses in his Lick of a Zubat to ogle me. I will get him later, but in an honorable fashion.

"Honor!" I continue my cries and slaps.

A squawking Farfetch'd stops beating a Raticate to stare at me. "Damn weirdo!"

I ignore such mocking. I will have honor! "Honor!"

Blossom stares at me around Sir's legs. "You're kinda weird, Fishy. Isn't he kinda weird, Boss?"

Sir grabs me from atop the Rattata, and I go limp in his grasp. He has seen how honorable I am, surely. Honor and duty! Important! Vigilance! Important!

"Honor and duty!" I cry as Sir holds me close. "Vigilance!"

"You need to calm down a bit there, Fisher," Sir tells me, patting my head. "I know you want arms, but it takes patience." To the others, he calls, "Delano, continue with Lick and Confuse Ray! Yoko, Fury Attack! Mom, stop straightening my shirt and Blossom, Razor Leaf! Dusty . . . keep sleeping."

He has no honor, this boy. Or very little.

But, alas, he is correct. It is arms that I want.

I will get arms. But, with honor and duty!

Constant dutiful, honorable vigilance!

Glass breaks and a pair of large Pokémon clamber into this healing center. A Venasaur and a Pidgeotto. The enemy humans are scrambling now, and I do not know why.

All I know is that it is dishonorable to leave a fight. Dishonorable!

* * *

_POV Switch~ Levina_

The bug wasn't so bad after all. It's an odd thought to consider, but it's a thought nonetheless. I think I always knew that he had a good side. Zorro was never mean to Spykes; I would've given him hell if he had been. He was always nice to the kid, and considerate.

He even gave a bit of advice to Brick, which I appreciate. My new team member could use a few boosts of confidence, that's for certain.

If anything, Zorro does not like Sir Edwin. I have no problems with this.

"We must fly, fools! Pichu Girl sent me to retrieve you!" the Hoothoot cried, grabbing at my arms with his claws.

I batted him away angrily. I needed complete concentration if I was going to perform Swift well and knock an enemy Fearow out of the sky.

It's almost natural that I not get along with Sir Edwin. He's a Flying-type after all, a definite disadvantage against my Electric-type. I've never gotten along with types that I had an advantage over.

The only exceptions were Tsu and Yoko, who I saw as friends. Fisher wasn't an exception. I tried playing nice with the Poliwag, honest, but his talks of honor and righteousness were always obnoxious. He once haughtily informed me that I could never have honor because my electric attacks had a 15 % chance of causing paralysis for my opponent.

"30 % actually," I had corrected with a sly, friendly smile. He had huffed indignantly, and waddled away. We had never gotten along since. It was just as well. Anymore talk of honor, and I planned on doing something dishonorable to him, ethics be damned!

Now, Sir Edwin continued pulling at me. I considered shocking the feathers off him, but resisted the urge; Gwen was much too fond of him, and Spykes and Bricks seemed to like him well enough. He'd be joining our team eventually, a thought that did not bring me pleasure.

"Hey, Bug! Miss me!" Out of the storm of attacks and yelling appeared a tall human boy with wavy golden-brown hair and a familiar look to him. Gwen's older brother. The resemblance was noticeable.

A Magmar stood by his side, occasionally leaving to shoot Flamethrower at the airborne enemies. Returning from one such excursion, he eyed Zorro warily. "You again."

Zorro used Quick Attack upon an enemy before growling in the human brother's direction. "Invade my space, and I'll stab you."

The older brother was obviously not very smart as he continued chatting nonchalantly to Zorro whilst the Bug-type finished off a Raticate. "How's the squirt treating ya?"

In an instant, Zorro had the human on the grass with a blade to his neck. "You should be worried about how _I'm _going to treat _you_!"

I sighed, and shooed Sir Edwin away. Goodness. I see why Gwen always complains. What a life, I'll tell ya.

"Get off my trainer or I will burn you to a crisp," the Magmar boomed.

Help my comrade or leave to do better things? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I turned away and hurried off to shock a few enemy Pidgeotto out of the sky. Yeah. Zorro could handle himself.

"Pichu Girl wants us!" Sir Edwin insisted, grabbing at my shoulder once more.

"Pichu Girl has a name," I told him, slapping him away as I unleashed Shock Wave upon the enemy Flying-types. I smirked confidently. It was certainly nice to have learned a new move. It would win plenty of battles, and it was already! Gwen would be proud.

The Shock Wave didn't take out the trio entirely, though it certainly weakened them. A handful of ally Pokémon arrived; a Charizard, a Poliwrath, and a Honchkrow. The two winged Pokémon took to the sky while the Water-type volleyed moves from the ground.

I watched with slight irritation. Not only had they taken my prey, but they were disadvantaged against me too! One-upped by a Flying-type, a Water-type, and a secondary flyer.

"Pichu Girl needs us," Sir Edwin repeated, landing upon my shoulder.

I shook him off, but he persistently remained there. "You're annoying."

"And you are obnoxious," he said, ruffling his feathers.

Stupid bird.

Momentarily giving up on ridding myself of him, I peered around the ensuing battles to the healing center. Commotion was rising within it, and a pair of helicopters hovered above the red-and-white building.

My jaw set angrily, I began my way toward the building. Gwen, Spykes, Bricks, and the others were in there. I couldn't let them get hurt.

"Zorro, let's go!" I called before breaking into run.

Sir Edwin continued clinging to my shoulder. Suddenly, he flew off and into my face. "You don't expect to win on your own, now, do you, Electric Kid?"

"Outta my way!" I swiped at him, but the damn bird ducked. If he didn't knock it off . . .

Up ahead, a few trainers were finally taking notice of what was occurring inside the center. One trainer—a familiar-looking human boy with spiky hair—commanded a Fearow to enter the room while his companion—a drowsy-looking human girl—ordered a massive Grass-type.

Dashing around the irritating Flying-type, I continued dashing. Officer Jenny and her Arcanine outran me, as did a few other trainers, Gwen's annoying brother included.

"I'm not winning on my own!" I told Sir Edwin as he flew beside me. I was not particularly pleased with this realization. I might not be the strongest, but surely I'm capable of taking on a few lowly Pokémon on my own to save my trainer and friends. Right?

* * *

**Shameless Shaun of the Dead reference. Also, reference to Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter. Constant vigilance, anyone?**

**I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter. It felt very jumpy and stilted to write, and I'm going to partly blame that on my two year hiatus regarding this story. I intend to put efforts to make sure that the next chapter doesn't feel as jumpy and clogged as this one.**

**For this chapter, we had two POV switches: the continuation of Levina's and one for Fisher.**

**Fisher, Sam's Poliwag, has probably been the most ignored Pokemon up until now. Just about every other Pokemon-even Mallory's Ledyba-had some form of characterization or personality. Poor Fisher was left to be more of a prop than character.**

**Hopefully, his obsession with honor proved to be a start to him becoming a real character of this story. I went a little overboard with him, I fear. He ended up being really hammy and a little too zealous in his morals, but I think it works. It was definitely fun to write, though the shift into present-tense was different and odd for me. And, Fisher will be receiving future POVs, if only so that he can get some character development. And get his arms once he evolves into a Poliwhirl ;)**

**And, Levina. I intended for her to come across as rather cocky and overconfident. She's arguably the sanest of Gwen's Pokemon, and she knows it. This could add to anyone's ego. She is mature, but I still think that her mind is similar to that of an adolescent human. She's probably teenaged in Elekid years, and hopefully that translated well in the writing.**

**At any rate, the next chapter will conclude the Get-Aaron-Back-To-Goldenrod-And-Deal-With-Ethan-And-Rockets-And-Plot Arc. And, yes, that is a legitimate name for an arc :P**

**Trivia Question: What song was the jukebox playing? And, please refrain from putting the lyrics into Google Search, people! We can't have cheating!**

**Hint: If you've seen Shaun of the Dead, it's likely that you know the song.**

**Anyway, please leave a review if you're able. And, thank you for the continued support and readership!**


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